"We only love the things we can name" : FAWM

We only love the things we can name

Liner Notes

I went to see Spell Songs last night. They're a folk group who were put together to write and perform music to accompany books by Rob Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. They read a quote from the book about species going extinct. I will paraphrase as I remember it, with apologies to the author - "We only love the things we name; we only save the things we love." The latter half of that quote was used as the chorus in one of the songs, but I found the former half very interesting and tried to write something a little in their style. I think I captured the essence musically, albeit with different instruments and vocals, but it turned out a bit more negative lyrically than I'd hoped. Hey ho - onwards and sideways!

#folk #ambient

Lyrics

We can't love the faces that we've never seen Not creatures that we've never known While we may claim that we care all the same We only love the things we can name

Anonymous tragedy hurts so much less Thank fates the familiar befall And though we may think ourselves equal and fair We only love the things we can name We only love the things we can name

Comments

@wylddandelyon 2d

Lovely.

@roundahouse 6d

Wow! I love this, from the lyrical concept to your drone + woodwind solo instrumentation, melody and sparse harmonies. Beautifully haunting.

@kaminokai 1w

so medieval in sound, and meaty in word. gorgeous drone.

@alyxanderjames 1w

As others have said, this is haunting and gorgeous, poignant and timely. And I kind of appreciate that it went darker than you intended -- it feels honest in a way that a more optimistic lyric might not. Really lovely work!

@funnypunkband 1w

Love the dramatic, cinematic intro, and the way the melody moves around that sustained chord gives the whole song a really haunting quality. The sparse arrangement feels like a perfect match for such a thought-provoking lyric.

@tcelliott 1w

Great feeling, some smooth grit in the lead up to the vocal. And your melody draws me in. There's a depth to the lyric and melody riding over the synth. Nice vibrato in your vocal, too. Lovely.

@nancycunning 1w

Wow, Helen - I love the way it feels like a very old song with this buzz of fluorescent lights almost drowning it out. That was feels like the blurring as species disappear.

@ductapeguyTEAM 1w

That is absolutely beautiful Helen . I love how the drone interacts and interplays with the woodwind.

@sapient 1w

Gosh, that's just so true, isn't it? 😬 And I love the music. That minor key folky stuff gets me every time. I've never been one to mind things that end up a bit darker than expected...

@val 1w

Oh the clarinet is captivating! This is pretty haunting, but also beautiful. Lyrically true. That unfortunate, but also maybe a gift so we don't all go insane with guilt and emotional pain.

@headfirstonlyTEAM 1w

Haunting. And thought-provoking, to say the least. I can tell that I'm going to have to sit and ponder this one for quite a a while. And as as @joeycyclone says, that line "Anonymous tragedy hurts so much less" really lands hard. Yow.

@joeycyclone 1w

Deliciously atmospheric and haunting. It’s a wonderful line/title to write to, and your line ‘anonymous tragedy hurts so much less’ is a poignant reminder that compassion for strangers seems to be missing in so much of society today.