My heartbreak song is still one of my greatest teachers.
The lessons that the heartbreak alchemized into continue to light the way for me, even when I’m in the dark.
The structure is totally different from any of my other songs. It’s not how I structure my songs when I am writing a song on purpose (normally).
I usually follow the structure: verse 1, verse 2, chorus, verse 3/bridge, chorus again. In this song, you’ll notice, has zero verses. The structure goes: intro, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, pre-chorus and chorus again.
This song could also be called, “I once loved a Swede.” The song starts out with just explaining the situation. I am coming to terms with the situation of having a totally content, happy even, man that feels totally apathetic towards me. It sets up the personalities of the story. A square peg and a paisley (or whatever) hole.
I knew the love I felt was not reciprocated and I needed to make it okay.
That’s what songwriting has the power to do: make it okay. It can make anything okay.
We know this already.
But, the OTHER power of songwriting, it can reveal something you didn’t know before. That’s what happened here. I not only resolved and made my sorrow beautiful, I also was able to receive some very relieving wisdom that was buried in the situation. It was able to naturally emerge.
It is something that I still TO THIS DAY have a hard time with: trusting while in the unknown. Staying confident in the magical dark.
I’m going deeper into this topic on this week’s new podcast episode. Join the conversation.
Do these lyrics bring you comfort? What songs or specific lyrics help you lean into trust? I need more of them!
LYRICS
Intro:
“He’s a good company man, never alone, so he never understands that he’s running in a hamster wheel.
and I bet, that in five years time he’ll be doing just fine. And he’ll still be running around
not thinking, not wanting more. Cause why want more when you don’t know what you’re looking for.
Why want more when you never tried anything new your whole life through.”
Pre-chorus:
“My baby don’t love me and my baby won’t try. My baby he never wonders why, but my baby won’t leave me and my baby ain’t sad. But no baby it doesn’t make me mad.”
Chorus:
“Because the light of love is in my heart. Because it doesn’t make you weaker
to trust your fate when you’re in the dark. If everything I learned from you is true
oh, I might love you, but my love is too good for you.”
Bridge:
“But please believe that i still see, all the things that made me love you to begin with
what did I get in with.”
