"AROUND THE CAMPFIRE" : FAWM

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE

3 days ago by @jerrypettit

Liner Notes

Hey, Jerry--can you write a sad Campfire Song? Um...yeah, I guess so.

And to be "sad" can you base it on, you know, like The Blues or something? Yeah, alright--I'll give it a try.

I hope you enjoy the song!

Lyrics

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE

Words & Music By Jerry Pettit Facebook.com/JerryPettitMusic

We didn't say much when we got here Just started stackin' wood the way he showed us how Somebody struck a match without a word And we all just stood there watchin', starin' at it now The flames came up like they were askin' permission To hold the space where all our sorrow been We passed a bottle, not to drown it But to help the words come easier from within

CHORUS: AROUND THE CAMPFIRE, we let it burn all night Let the smoke carry up what we couldn't say out loud AROUND THE CAMPFIRE, under the same old sky We didn't hide our tears, we didn't hide our pride We just sat there together, lettin' the fire Hold what our hearts couldn't hold alone AROUND THE CAMPFIRE, we brought him home

My brother told the one about the fishin' trip Where Daddy lost his temper and his tackle box We laughed until the laughin' turned to cryin' And nobody reached to make each other stop The stars came out the same as any other evenin' Like they didn't know the world had lost a friend But the fire didn't need to understand it It just kept on burnin', kept on holdin' us again

BRIDGE: Some things you can't say sittin' 'cross a table Some things only come out starin' into flame So we sat there till the coals were barely glowin' And said the things we'd carried, said his name

The sun came up on empty lawn chairs And a fire that had burned itself to gray But somethin' in me felt a little lighter Like the weight I carried in had found a place to stay We'll build another one come Sunday evenin' 'Cause grief don't leave on any timetable it's told So we'll keep on gatherin' round the same old fire ring Long as there's a story left untold

Comments

@rocketgrrrl 2d

I really beautiful performance, but I hope you know that the imagery and lyrics you composed have some real gems. There were many that just struck me when I heard them. For example:

Like the weight I carried in had found a place to stay. To hold the space where all our sorrow. The sun came up on empty lawn chairs.

For someone whose parents have both turned 80, this really spoke to me.

@jeff9 3d

What an original idea--the fire itself is almost anthropomorphized which is clever to begin with, but then the catharsis and healing it provides to the folks makes it a perfect tool for a celebration of the life of a lost friend. You put us right there with them, Jerry. Beautiful flow and loads of great images and lines. Applause.

@sbs 3d

Another brilliant write! Liked the line “The flames came up like they were askin permission.” So much poetic realism in this song. It captures one of those special family moments - honesty and sharing emotions - rare.

@billwhite51 3d

i would say this is a song about a campfire rather than a campfire song, which is a group singalong with simple, catchy lyrics. niggling aside, i enjoyed this tale. your storytelling just gets better and better, and your singing keeps us riveted to the story.