FAWM: "My Name Is"

My Name Is

8 hours ago by @alyxanderjames

My Name Is

alyxanderjames

00:00

Liner Notes

I did not think this would come together quite this quickly, but FAWM does weird things to my brain.

This is for the #Chosen-Name challenge by @orinthebard. And it's a true story. @fecknom and I had been dating for not-quite-a-year, it felt like everyone I knew was trans and choosing new names. I knew I wasn't cis by that point, but I didn't know if I was going to do anything with that information. And then one day at work I idly wondered to myself what I would change my name to if I ever changed it, and my name was just...there. Like it had always been there.

I liked my given name. It was a good name. It just...stopped feeling like mine at a certain point.

It feels important to note that this isn't the experience every trans person has with their name, but...it was mine.

#Queer #Trans #Folk #SingerSongwriter #PersonWithGuitar #AcousticOneTake

Lyrics

Twenty-three Most of my friends are trans And then there's me Not a woman or a man Probably nonbinary Didn't know if I could take that step Unaware of my dysphoria It didn't feel real, and yet

Passing time At a desk job in a hospital I find Myself wondering what name Would be mine I hadn't even finished the question It was there before I knew The weight of what I was asking

Alyxander James I didn't know another name Could fit me better than The one that I'd been given

My initials Stayed the same Kept other letters As a nod To where I came from It was beautiful and strange This voice inside me That demanded that I listen

I had to take a leap of faith Pass through the threshold Turn the page And make my claim

Alyxander James I didn't know another name Could fit me better than The one that I'd been given

Alyxander James So many things have changed Since I stepped into the truth That I am living

Alyxander James

Comments

@orinthebard 5h

Yay, thank you for sharing and joining the challenge! Your vocals & guitar are very pretty in this one. It's cool how sometimes our names just come to us like that. I really like the line "stepped into the truth that I am living".

@caitlin 6h

Thank you for sharing your experience in song, this is so beautiful and heartfelt. When you sing Alyxander James, it’s incredibly moving. My mama bear heart is all warm and fuzzy for you.

@feb21sundari 8h

Your voice is so beautiful with the guitar; it's a joy in itself. You tell a fascinating story. I do diversity training, and there's an exercise called: The Story of My Name. Most people don't realize beforehand how much emotion is tied to their name.