As my first song for these "behind the lyrics" blogs, I chose a song off the new record called "Your Words." I picked it primarily because it’s one that very few
of you have heard yet. I hope you like it.
History:
I use words a lot in a way that most people don’t. I put them into songs to communicate emotions
and stories. Because of that deep emotional connection, a lot of
times it’s really hard for me to separate myself from things that people say to
me. It’s taken a long time for me to
learn that sometimes people just say things for their own reasons – out of
their own hurt, frustration, thoughtlessness – and that often the hurtful
things they are saying have very little to do with me. All of this to say, words when spoken by me
(especially in song or written out) are usually expressing some of my deepest
emotions, and words spoken to me go straight to my heart, whether I want them
to or not.
So you can imagine how many times I’ve been
hurt by someone’s words. And most of the
time those people are very close to me.
Friends, family, people I thought were friends…each relationship is
marked by the words we choose. I know I’ve
let my words hurt others.
So this song is about the damage done by someone’s
words. Whose were they? Yours.
Mine. A friend who betrayed
me. A family member who let you
down. Our own inner critics. Lingering and regrettable words ringing in
our hearts.
We get hurt. We
cry. We dry our eyes, but somehow the
pain doesn’t go away. “Tears fall down
and hang around…like the last guest a party who doesn’t see it’s time to leave…like
the snow still clinging to the ground ‘cause the spring is so naïve…like an
echo in a valley that only fades with time…”
We hope. We make
excuses. We rationalize. On the outside we smile and move on, while on
the inside we stay stuck. But at some
point, we have to move on. And most of the
time, it has to be a conscious choice, not just something that happens. “I’m not [going to] break myself to make you
see that your words are killing me.”
When we recorded this song, we set up a room mic. That’s it.
One microphone. One take. No autotune.
We tried to capture as much of the emotion as possible. This one hits me close to home and it’s hard
for me to listen to sometimes because it takes me back to a place and emotion
that I’ve worked hard to get away from.
But I hope it helps you realize that you can choose to heal and choose
to move on. Choose your words carefully,
and in all things choose love. “The
words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings
healing.” Proverbs 12:18
Your Words
When you said what you needed to say
But it’s still cold at the end of the day
Do you see the hurt in me
Where your words stung bitterly?
Tears fall down and hang around
Like the last guest at a party who doesn’t see it’s time to
leave
My heart still aches
I don’t know what it takes to make you finally see
That your words are killing me
It’s not enough to say you’re sorry again
‘Cause there’s a canyon-wide hurt inside
That “sorry” can’t mend
Can’t you see there’s a part of me
That’s hanging onto hope that maybe someday you’ll see
Tears fall down and hang around
Like the snow still clinging to the ground ‘cause the spring
is so naïve
And my heart still aches
I don’t know what it takes to make you finally see
That your words are killing me
And I’ve tried to look the other way
But it’s always you with more to say
And I’m done making light of our mistakes
I gotta just leave town
No more hanging around
Like an echo in the valley that only fades with time
My heart may ache but I’m not gonna break myself to make you
see
That your words are killing me
