"To Be Gone" : FAWM

To Be Gone

6 days ago by @philkmills

To Be Gone

philkmills

00:00

Liner Notes

#acoustic #country?

There's a challenge going around (outside of FAWM) to write a traditional country song. Although I grew up on 1950s country, It's not an easy thing to do. It feels as if all the good ones -- along with most of the bad ones -- have already been written.

Any comments about whether this could be turned into something appropriate to the genre are especially welcome.

Lyrics

When you grow up at the side of a highway You see the whole world driving past Cars racing by With no who, where, or why But the one that you leave in is the one you see last.

I was going Oh, I knew I was going The thought of staying felt so wrong. I was going Though I was going Never wanted to be gone.

There were friends that I had back in my day Who I thought would always be around New jobs perhaps Or at least greener grass Made them what-ever-happened-to parts of the town

I was going Oh, I knew I was going The thought of staying felt so wrong. I was going Though I was going Never wanted to be gone.

Well, I grew up at the side of that highway Where traffic exchanged old for new I could walk there Now a ghost through still air I remember how fast those cars faded from view

I was going Oh, I knew I was going The thought of staying felt so wrong. I was going Though I was going Never wanted to be gone.

Comments

@wynia 3d

This is so heartfelt! My mom grew up on a farm and I know felt a lot of this as she left for a life elsewhere while other family stayed in the area. Heck, I feel it even though I grew up in a town, but chose a career that simply doesn't exist inmy hometown...ending up 8 hours away. My favorite line "I could walk there/now a ghost through still air". My grandparents' farmhouse is abandoned now and it does feel like there are the ghosts of memories past anytime I've bene on the property. Great song

@rocketgrrrl 3d

I have to say you got me with this one - tears from those deep guitar sounds, and thoughts of the university class memorial list that grows longer every year. "Never wanted to be gone" helps give meaning for the rest of us left behind.

@debs 5d

This makes me think of "Penny to my Name", thematically, but the chorus brings so much more complexity. It's this very neat push and pull on both sides and I'm not quite sure where it ultimately lands. I love that, though. So soothing to hear your voice again.

@chipwithrow 6d

I too grew up listening to traditional country - and now I have a lot of my dad's vinyl records! Man, I relate to this one - reminds me of where I grew up in rural (now suburban) Ohio. Your musical delivery is right on - gives me good chills.