FAWM: "THE SECRET PLACES OF THE HEART"

THE SECRET PLACES OF THE HEART

Liner Notes

So I keep a spreadsheet of potential titles that I use to randomly come up with titles to write lyrics to. Not sure where I got this title, but it is SO NOT ORIGINAL!! H.G. Wells wrote a book with this title, and Tennessee Williams wrote a screenplay with the same title. I'm not going to lose any sleep over either of them suing me... (P.S. You can't copyright a title anyway)

Not as bothered by my vocal in this one as my others--I still think my voice is ageing twice as fast as the rest of me. Sigh...

Lyrics

THE SECRET PLACES OF THE HEART

Words & Music By Jerry Pettit Facebook.com/JerryPettitMusic

There are rooms inside me no one's ever seen Corridors of shadow where I hide my dreams Locked behind the armor that I wear each day Things I've never spoken, words I'll never say

There's a chapel in there where I keep my grief A gallery of moments that still won't let me sleep A library of questions I'm afraid to ask A theater where I rehearse removing all my masks

CHORUS: THE SECRET PLACES OF THE HEART Where I keep the tender and the scarred Where I hide the hoping and the broken parts In THE SECRET PLACES OF THE HEART Would you still want me if you saw Everything I am behind these walls? In THE SECRET PLACES OF THE HEART THE SECRET PLACES OF THE HEART

There's a child in there who still believes in magic And a cynic who thinks love always ends in tragic There's a warrior and a coward sharing the same space A saint and a sinner wearing the same face

I've spent a lifetime building these defenses Perfecting all my carefully constructed pretenses But you look at me like you can see right through To all the hidden chambers I've been keeping from you

So here I am with trembling hands And every door unlocked Come and see the beautiful and broken Everything I've got

There are gardens growing wild in here And monsters in the dark There are treasures and there are disasters In the secret places of my heart

Comments

@musicsongwriter 2h

I feel alarmed that you are soon approaching 14 songs and that will be it for this fawm. Or no. I want many more!!! Another beautiful song, Jerry. The title is perfect. I stopped worrying about finding original titles after I tried whatever came to my head, thinking this for sure wasn't used. But it was, was, was! I think, best to find the title which works for the song regardless it being used before or not. I really love your vocals and playing. So melodious, so wonderful, so loving, warm and sincere. Of course the problem I have is to find my favourite song of yours. Each time it's the one I hear, and then another song comes, and I'm again under its spell. Everything feels so effortless, so natural and so masterful at the same time, and I don't want it to finish.

@artie 5h

Great lyrics! And your performance executes it all so beautifully. I especially enjoyed the colouring and flavour of the organ and vocal harmonies.

@gordon 5h

This is really wonderful, from the lyrics to the full on production itself. Excellent song and catchy too. Wouldn't worry too much about the title either. Just think how many Power of Loves there are out there. Really lovely song and a great listen.

@billwhite51 6h

you do such a good job of examining all these human contradictions. for me, these are not only some of your bst lyrics, but the most accomplshed music. i sure cant hear any decay in your voice, but then i am not hearing what you might have wanted to do but are not able any more to do. that is my problem. in order to lay down a listenable vocal, i have to confine myself to those notes that still resonate. it must have been ten years ago that my wife advised me to stop going for the high notes. it wasnt that i couldnt hit them, just that they sounded terrible. hese days, i am singing in my late night radio, where i spoke softly and deeply close to the mic. my girlfriend at the time always commented on how much the women listeners loved that . as she handled the phone lines, she must have known something that i didnt know.