You Wrote It in Chalk
By Cursory on May 12, 2024 7:19 am
Happy Week 19! Settled on a nice simple chord progression and wanted to try telling a bit more of a story than usual. This is one of those songs that kind of sounds like the rest of my songs to me, but maybe the lyrics are a bit more focused than they often are. I also haven’t made much use of any orchestral sounds on any WB tracks until now so that’s cool. Keeping with how things usually sound made for fairly quick and efficient recording which signals improvement, aside from some silliness.
Things that were silly:
-No metronome, we’re fast (and slow) and loose over here. This made percussion annoying (no loops or quantizing of MIDI) and the "hits" after the held orchestral notes a pain to try and time
-Refusing to set up a second microphone since moving my desk so main vocals and guitar are on the same track, mixing be damned.
-You can barely hear a siren at the very start 
› Lyrics
‹ Lyrics
You wrote it in chalk, said it would last forever
I didn’t have the heart to say you’re wrong
You planned your remarks and made ‘em sound clever
But heartfelt and kind all the same
But then came the weather
And washed it all away
“Where did it go? I spent so long writing.
Oh what’s the use in trying at all”
I looked around for the right words to tell you
The rain might’ve taken them as well
Then came forever
At least that’s how it felt
But try to remember…
“Who are they for, those words you still carry?
I reckon there may be another way.
Though now erased, they are lost, not forgotten.”
It seemed like something someone wise might say
And we still remember
To share those words aloud
Deliver that message
First written on the ground
› Lyric Blurb
‹ Lyric Blurb
There’s probably something lost as soon as lyrics are explained, but I find myself inclined to write these anyway. A couple of people have commented kindly about these blurbs so I’ll likely continue to do this when appropriate.
“You wrote it in chalk” was a lyric that popped up for some reason. I've thought before there's something lovely about kids painstakingly writing/drawing in chalk with the guarantee that it will be erased. I was also kind of tickled by the idea of a child using chalk for their first time to write a message and not understanding this impermanence, and an adult not knowing how to break it to them but trying their best to turn it into something positive. In this case, the opportunity to share the message directly. Sometimes making music and keeping it to myself has felt like "writing things in chalk," but the collective sharing of music in this kind community seems to be something better. Y'all are lovely.
Awesome mix throughout your vocals sounded great. Loved it!
