Welcome, you are listening to Every Song. A series where I play songs I’ve written throughout the years and share the stories behind them.
The songs for today are ones I wrote and dedicated to one day putting money where my mouth is and actually moving! I woke up today in a brand new country. I actually did it.
We flew into Naarm from Tāmaki Makaurau last night to live here somewhat permanently. I actually don’t know how long my boyfriend and I are going to live here for, we just know that we don’t plan on looking back to a life of low wages and no ass job opportunities back there. So, we’ve up and left to seek greener pastures literally anywhere else in the world.
Here’s a song I wrote when I was 15, fantasising about an escape. It is called Distance, written on the 5th of July 2007.
070705 Distance
Distance, here I comeNo matter how far you areI’ll be keeping track of the distance I have goneDistance, expect me soonI’ll be coming after youMaybe it’s not too late before I break down and suffocate
I’m out of place, I’m out of loveDon’t tell me anymore, I’ve had enoughI’d know your face, I’d know your smileSo distance I’m getting in line just for you
Distance save a spaceFor my belongings and myselfI promise I’ll pay you backFor every night and day that I stayDistance, open the door pleaseI know there’s room for insideI didn’t travel this far south for nothingI don’t want to waste my time
Is it wise to run awayThink twice I’ll be okayDistanceI’ll be chasing after youWhile I’m being chased by my bluesDistance
That whole song is still true to its original form. I wrote is as is back then and I’ve never really touched it or amended it - not even much of the vocal melodies.
The other one I wanted to play in this episode is yet another one I wrote during the Covid lockdown, the first wave. This one is more about the kind of place, or world, that I would like to live in, rather than just a literal location or just the vague concept of escape. It’s about what kind of community and social connectivity I would like to see in the future. It’s called That’s Where I Hope To Be, written on the 11th of May 2020.
200511 That’s Where I Hope to Be
Where the desert meets the snowfallWhere wild spirits soar freeWhere light cannot cast shadowsWhere knowledge is a treeWhere woman was not temptedWhere man does as he needsWhere children grow as giantsWhere all love how they please
That’s where I hope to be
Where no agendas hideWhere magic does existWhere life after death welcomesWhere sisterhood persistsWhere water is respectedWhere wine sobers the drunkWhere worship and praise fail to fishWhere mercy lowers guns
Where the dirt electrifiesWhere the sun befriends the seaWhere the wind blows as it wishesThat’s where I’m going to beThat’s where I hope to be
Thank you for listening to episode 38 of Every Song. Until next time.
