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“The Other Side” Lyrics
2. maj 2012
I had a dream last night
The worst in many years
Had me biting on my pillow
Had me waking up in tears
I was knocking on a door
I’d been knocking all my life
Expecting great things on the other side
On the other side
Expecting great things on the other side
There was a beam of light
I sensed the time was near
I was getting all excited
Saw my future bright and clear
The lock gave out a roar
And the door slid open wide
I was free to walk out on the other side
On the other side
Finally free to walk out on the other side
That’s when the dream got frightening
I was not at all prepared
For the empty hall that met me
And the truth that lived in there
The castle and the king
And the diamonds in the sky
Were nowhere to be seen on the other side
On the other side
No, there were no lights on the other side
On the other side
Yeah, the lights were off on the other side
Now, if the dream is right
And if I’m thinking clear
I guess I should be thankful to have woken up right here
And not half-way up a ladder into an empty sky
Not looking for a better place to live my life
No, I think I’ll just stay and live it on this side
On this side
I’ll just stay and live my life on this side
Lyrics
6. april 2012
3rd day of working on the same lyric. A lyric that should be straight-forward. Few words. Simple message.
And yet I can’t get it right.
Yesterday afternoon, long out of patience, I managed to finish it with a fairy tale approach, inspired by a Yeats poem. I was so happy. But in the evening when I attempted to record it, it sounded completely wrong. Like a Sting song from the 90s (no offense). So it’s back to the drawing board this morning.
I hope I don’t end up too angry at this song!
It’s certainly not the first time a lyric has put up a fight. In fact, quite a few of my lyrics have probably felt like somewhat of a compromise when I wrote them. Like, I couldn’t get it quite right. But with time I usually forget and can’t imagine the words any different.
I keep telling myself that OF COURSE I’ll be able to finish this song – and all the other songs that still need some lyric work – in good time for my deadline. But actually, “A New Situation”, back in the day, was recorded for “Count To Ten”. But I couldn’t finish it. Should’ve been simple – but it wasn’t. Came out almost 2 years later.
Helgi is writing string arrangements in the studio.
All is quiet…
(Many Small Pieces) Come Together
29. marts 2012
It’s been ages since I last wrote. I think it’s because we’re now so deep in the work and recording process that I don’t know where to even begin to write about it. Not sure what’s up and down.
It’s already 10 days since Dennis went back to hometown Aarhus, leaving me and Helgi with lots of guitar tracks to start going over, picking the right ones, making decisions for each song.
We’re now working on 16 songs / ideas, trying to finish all of them over the next month – bit by bit…
Vocals, acoustic guitars, piano, strings, horns, synths, sounds – the options are endless and the art is usually to try and keep it simple and to the point. I’m sure you can imagine that it’s tempting to play around and keep adding beautiful, nice, fun, interesting elements – why not? How do you know when it’s done? But all these elements quickly start melting together into a bland and uninteresting soup of good ideas.
The days are far too short at the moment. NOTHING else going on. All the usual every-day habits are gone for the time being – except one good ol’ morning classic:
But no evenings in front of the tv. No brunching in cafes. No keeping up with what’s going on in the world. No dinner parties and guests. No make-up. Not much fresh air.
I can’t even really explain why it takes so long, why it’s so all-consuming, why everything else has to step to one side… It’s just, kinda overwhelming. Maybe because it’s all so feely-feely.
Surprisingly the writing is the least feely-feely part. That’s where I’m at home.
But being in the studio, recording, bringing the songs to life, that’s where it starts driving me slightly crazy. The details, nuances, gut feelings, inexplicable dynamics and acoustics that start to take control.
For instance I’ve been trying to record an acoustic song – just me and the guitar – for the past couple of days.
I recorded a casual but well-sounding demo right after I had written it in January and I just can’t nail it again. The first demo had it. It had IT! The energy. The right kind of storytelling. The balance. The warmth. And the cold in the right places. The problem is I’ve changed the lyrics slightly since then so I do need to nail it again.
I promised myself I’d be really relaxed and easy-going with the record, though, and that’s what I am… :)