FAWM: "Cyanide"

Cyanide

1 day ago by @philkmills

Cyanide

philkmills

00:00

Liner Notes

#folk #acoustic

I'm off to a slow start because my song ideas have been too depressing, but I guess the way out is by going through it. (I just assume people get the Schrödinger's cat reference. Without that, the song makes less sense than average.)

This is mostly in Am, but I've become interested in secondary dominant chords, so one of them visits from time to time and brings a C# with it for a little spice.

Lyrics

I read an obituary, just the other day, A rock star from my teen years passed away. Sadness and surprise, thinking fondly of the sound I hadn’t known that he was still around.

Friends out of my past will briefly, brightly come to mind And I’ll think how our days draw tangled lines If we met again, I’d ask them what pushed us apart Though I have no idea were to start

People in their boxes With time like cyanide Some kind of dead, some kind of alive

I look at my footprints as I cross a field of snow And watch the wind erase them as it blows My shadow, so conspicuous when I stand in the light Disappears by blending with the night

People in their boxes With time like cyanide Some kind of dead, some kind of alive

All of us in boxes With time like cyanide Some kind of dead, some kind of alive A kind of dead, a kind of alive

Comments

@jmcdaid 1h

A powerful slow-burn memento mori. Nicely done.

@seemanski 2h

To quote Marty McFly, that was heavy! It's good to get out the blues, I'm totally guilty of that and I say let it out. I still can't believe that Eddie Vedder is last remaining frontman of the big 4 of grunge :(

@headfirstonlyMod 6h

Given the state of the world at the moment, I think you can be forgiven for finding much of your inspiration depressing, Phil. I'm in the same boat. But you've dug in to your response to the times and found something meaningful and true, and that's to be celebrated. Life is precarious; we have to find ways to enjoy what we have of it.

@dr_griff 18h

This brought tears to my eyes, Phil. We've lost a lot of good ones in the last few weeks, most of them too young, and... yeah. Thanks for this.

@tawny249 20h

Oof. Yes, it's depressing, but also insightful. The comparison between "not knowing the state of people outside your little world" and Schrodinger's cat is very apt. I was intrigued by the frequent but not constant dissonance in the chords, it worked very well. Spice is good.

@gmcgath 22h

It happens more and more with age. Discovering people have recently died who I thought belonged to a previous era. Others who were supposed to always be there and aren't anymore. (What do you mean Elizabeth isn't the Queen?) Events I remember which are now considered ancient history. The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on.

@ductapeguyMod 23h

So sad. So relatable.

@nwhosings 1d

I read these lyrics at school, but couldn't listen until there were fewer child ears around. Time like cyanide is a great phrase. Evocative, threatening and resigned all at once. Everything feels very suspended, moving, but not quite arriving, which suits that subject matter.