John says: Buckle in, it's a sad breakup song that's probably about something else entirely, because METAPHORS! Drug use? Mental illness? The death of the American Dream? An actual breakup? You decide!

A lot of this FAWM has been about actively blowing through as much of my lyrical idea backlog as possible, and this song manages to knock like six or seven line/concepts/whatever off the list. Yay Past John for writing stuff down! This started as a pensive solo song, then became a lush alternating internal Smeagol monologue song, and finally ended up as a lovely sad duet with Leslie, who now hates me because I express sadness through double-dotted whole notes that are difficult to harmonize.

Musically, this is trying to tell a story… tentative, tonally ambiguous maj7, min7, add9, add11 style chords at the start, as our protagonist(s) take the first unsure steps on their journey, gradually morphing into the most definitively major key progression of all time by the resolutely depressing ending.

Also, if you find yourself out of reverb, it may be because I used it all on here.

Leslie says: We joked this was an 80s music video in the making, with a split screen and everyone's feathered hair blowing wistfully in the wind, while a lonely boat sails slowly past the shoreline. I think we nailed it.

Reverb is the best, highly recommended. As is working with John. I will admit those notes are hard to hold as long as he can hold them, but any annoyance I may have felt at singing my 50th take turned to gratitude because I love a challenge. I look forward to our collabs every year we get to do them, and this was loads of fun.

Truly I love a good paradox; an upliftingly sad duet fits the bill.

#duet #ballad #sad

It's been too long at the edge of here Looking around, finding you Anywhere you might appear

It's been too long not knowing how To think or feel about you I’d hoped I’d know by now

I can't keep drawing the same blood From the same vein

I'm tired of hosting your downward spiral I'm tired of hosting your downward spiral

You make me do the stupidest things Crossing lines I didn't know you’d set Long before I came

I make you do the stupidest things But I always know exactly the right Black and white spaces to reclaim

I can't keep drawing the same blood From the same vein

I'm tired of hosting your downward spiral I'm tired of hosting your downward spiral

As your ship floats without a sail Into the open seas It kills me to think that you'll never know you meant everything to me

I've poured so much from this empty cup I gave it all and I fucked it up I don't see you coming back this time I don't see you coming back this time

I don't see us coming back this time