Let Me Spill

by @newukenewyork

Liner Notes

FAWM 2026 / Song 13 Instrument: laminate spalted maple (pineapple shape) concert ukulele tuned low GCEA

I had this partial draft in my songwriting notebook that was bugging me -- I ALMOST liked it. Written during a Zoom study group called Queer Spirit that does Lectio Divina-style readings of modern and ancient texts (from a diversity of traditions), it wasn't quite a song. I kind of had two verses and two strange partial stanzas. Today I sat down with it, tidied up the rhyme of the verses a bit, turned one clump of lines into a chorus, and fleshed out a bridge from the other.

Beginning to try to find a melody, I remember a few people in comments I've seen have said Dm is "the saddest chord," or something like that, so I started there for the because this song isn’t sad. ;)

A lot of my songs are about community and spiritual practice, and this one is definitely in that category.

See all my originals here: https://tinyurl.com/seligsongs

#ukulele #uke #fuc #personwithukulele #girlwithukulele #acoustic #acousticonetake #onetake #americanasati

Lyrics

I don’t close my eyes when I pray I want you to shape me like clay And bake me in the scorching sun And make me a vessel or leave me undone and

Let me fill, let me pour, let me spill Let the love that puts cracks in me do what it will There’s something beginning that’s always begun In the mess, in the mud, where we’re one

Throwing down a glove, letting go a shoe To meet you with poetry and truth Will I be defiant or exhale? Will we be a legend or a cautionary tale?

Let me fill, let me pour, let me spill Let the love that puts cracks in me do what it will There’s something beginning that’s always begun In the mess, in the mud, where we’re one

I hope we celebrate these miracles with liquor or with love I hope we know that we are already dust

It’s me and I want you to see I’ll keep it short despite my vanity But isn’t this a treat? We’ve met like we were meant to meet Inside two stories, melting where we touch Into each other, turns out that’s enough

Let me fill, let me pour, let me spill Let the love that puts cracks in me do what it will There’s something beginning that’s always begun In the mess, in the mud, where we’re one

In the mess, in the mud, where we’re one

Comments

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I really like these lines:

"Let me fill, let me pour, let me spill Let the love that puts cracks in me do what it will"

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Thank you so much. We are cracked and cracking, and I find that comes up in my lyrics a lot. <3

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The gorgeous melody rendered by your voice would have been enough for me. Add these lyrics and this is just masterful. Wonderful work. Thank you.

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Thank you very much. 🙏🏼

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Oh! Your voice is a timeless buttery smooth ribbon of light that seeps right in and makes me want to curl up on a cozy couch in NYC in the sun in the only window in a 5th floor walk up. Sounds gorgeous without any of the studio wizardry I hide behind. Wonderful melody and song, but I suspect you could sing tax returns and I'd still be entranced. Thanks for posting this.

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Your comment made my day -- I can be very critical of my voice and often wish for studio wizardry to perfect it! Many thanks from my third floor walkup to you!!

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"Let me fill, let me pour, let me spill // Let the love that puts cracks in me do what it will"

Come on. Amazing.

As a whole, this feels warm and reassured(ing), in the adult way that knows about limitations and loss but doesn't hide from them. I.e., the opposite of a teenaged love song... further i.e., a real love song. Very nicely done.

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I very much appreciate your thoughtful comment. I do think I write some songs from my teenage self but more and more I’m tapping into adult me, after all these years.

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That D minor quote never fails to crack me up, so well done for reclaiming it for happier tunes! The chorus melody in particular is gorgeous, flows like the actions it’s describing. Nice write!

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Hi, thanks for the encouragement! I tried to open up in that chorus, so I'm glad it worked for you. Normally I'd go higher in the swell, but I wanted to try staying in my mid-range.

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Aw sweet. I love sad chords on the uke. You deliver the song beautifully. Well done.

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Thanks very much for your kind comment on "Let Me Spill!" I am a sucker for a sad sound.

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Thanks!

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This is truly lovely - I particularly like "Let the love that puts cracks in me do what it will" as a lyric!

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Thank you so much — the idea of that crack is probably influenced by Leonard Cohen’s crack “where the light gets in,” a lyric I think about a lot.

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Your voice and uke sounds great together as always! Really nice melody and lyrics! I especially like the line "There’s something beginning that’s always begun In the mess, in the mud, where we’re one" Nicely done!

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Thank you for the comment. I’m glad that line struck you as a pleasing one.

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Glad you went to work on this - the lyrics are so interesting and unusual, pretty tune, and I like that used the ‘saddest' chord on a non-sad song!

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Thanks very much for visiting the song and commenting encouragingly.

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Whoa 14 songs already! I'm really shooting for 14 this time. The sincere tone shone through. My favorite lyric was "I hope we celebrate these miracles with liquor or with love". Why not both? Haha. Nice job.

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Thanks very much -- I'm glad you liked that line. Had to make it "or" for my sober friends. ;)

I have one more to go to 14 (understandable confusion because the FAWM site counts collabs, and one of my collabs I had very little to do with + the other is a double), but I still say thanks! And you can get there if I can!!

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