Some of you may be aware that while Minna and I have been working on Unapologetically POP, which both of us enjoy tremendously, I've been simultaneously plucking away at my own music. As of now (and subject to change), my plan is to release an EP sometime around April. Minna and I are thinking about making a limited number of copies and sending them out. The EP might contain anywhere from 3 to 6 tracks. As I complete songs that I'm proud of, I will post them on here to get some of your feedback, so pretty please let us know what you think. I'm all for constructive criticism.
The first song I'm going to introduce you to is Break the Chain. Most of the songs I've written thus far have been quite self-conscious inward focused. While this one is along the same lines, it's also about my parents, who I never thought I'd write about in a million years. It's hard to aggregate all of the song's content into a few sentences, but the best word to describe what the song alludes to is guilt. My guilt for not being all that they hoped, for being unemployed, for feeling as though I'm a failure to them. Much of the time, I wish we could just start over, end the cycle of disappointment, Break the Chain. I wish that either they could reconfigure their hopes for me, or I could be the child they'd always wanted, one who enjoys pragmatic endeavors and isn't so lazy and depressed, so that neither of us would be disappointed with who I am.
Hopefully this track, as well as those to come, will be one you enjoy and relate to in your own way. Maybe you feel similarly, or maybe you're going through something completely different, yet the words still resonate with your experience. Once again, feel free to comment!
Lyrics:
VERSE 1:
You raised
Me up
You won’t forget
Your dreams that I disrupt
Your hopes
For me
I dropped each one
They were all so heavy
I felt
Inside
Something that you could not recognize
But I’m
drowing now
You are old, I’m stone
And I weigh you down
CHORUS:
Break the chain
You won’t make the same mistake
I’ll never drag you straight down with me again
Break the chain
You won’t see me rot away
I need to hide until I’m Jekyll again
Break the chain
You’ll know not to even try
The pressure won’t drown us when are tears are the rain
Break the chain
You’ll know no disappointment
No guilt will flow through any one of my veins
VERSE 2:
In the
old days
I could light you up
With a smiling face
Those days
Evaporate
Now we both wish
For a happier state
I want
To move ahead
But all I see
Is oblivion
I melt
away
The evil witch has
Met her fate
CHORUS:
Break the Chain
You won’t make the same mistake
I’ll never drag you straight down with me again
Break the chain
You won’t see me rot away
I need to hide until I’m Jekyll again
Break the chain
You’ll know not to even try
The pressure won’t drown us when our tears are the rain
Break the chain
You’ll know no disappointment
No guilt will flow through any one of my veins
BRIDGE:
I’ll pray
Each day
That we’ll both
Simply forget my fate
I stutter
And shake
My nerves control the movements of my body
You stand
And sway
I am a burden that can’t reciprocate
I’m here
You’re there
There’s a line that’s in severe disrepair
CHORUS:
Break the Chain
You won’t make the same mistake
I’ll never drag you straight down with me again
Break the chain
You won’t see me rot away
I need to hide until I’m Jekyll again
Break the chain
You’ll know not to even try
The pressure won’t drown us when our tears are the rain
Break the chain
You’ll know no disappointment
No guilt will flow through any one of my veins
Break the chain
(c) 2011
Unapologetically,
Gregory
P.S. As a side note, the photograph of me above was taken by my talented friend, Ashley Blubaugh. She's a sweetheart. Check out her artwork at http://people.umass.edu/ablubaug/
