FAWM seems like a great project and I’m happy to participate. In the interest of knowing myself and my tendencies, I’m very much less focusing on posting the songs I write in Feb, and more intently focused on achieving a song every two days. This is a nice low-bar goal — I tend to write a song every time I sit down with my guitar. The only thing I need is the motivation to actually sit down every day and write, and also to finish the songs I start. I’m also excited about using this (next) month as a tool to finish some incomplete songs I already have in the queue.

While it’s not my priority, I am hoping to record and post many of the songs I finish up here. Here’s my page for FAWM, though I’ll probably post more here than there.

Great! Hope you follow along!

Lying in bed missing the sound of your breathing
Feeling sad.
Lying here lonely
Thinking if only you were next to me I wouldn’t be so downcast

When we’re apart, I am
Thinking of when I’m in your arms again
Close to your heart, pressed against your skin

Lying here wistfully
Thinking about the things that you whisper to me
I’m thinking about your voice
If I had a choice
I wouldn’t spend another night for the rest of my life
Away from your tight grip, your moist lips

When we’re apart I am thinking
Of when I can be in your arms again
Close to your heart, pressed against your skin

When we’re apart I am
Thinking of when I’m in your arms again
Close to your heart, pressed against your skin

Written and recorded by Erin Brown
Copyright Erin Brown 2011

A song I wrote this week. Not sure what inspired me on this one, but I liked the way it came out. Hope you do too.

The day before I sailed to sea
A maiden came for me
She told to me her name
It was beautiful and plain
She said, “Son, it’s a shame we part so quickly”
She said, “Son, it’s a shame you depart so swiftly
Upon the sea all it’s scorn
Never to return
Never to return to me.”

I said, “Maiden if those eyes would follow this boat until the light dies,
Then I swear upon my lifeline to steer her back in good time and come up on this shore and make you mine.”
She said, “Son, that’s a noble fight to undertake.”
She said, “Son, that’s a fair trade to make.”
And she gave me a token
Her monogram, silk and woven
As a sign of her devotion

Through those days and nights and storms
Only her promise kept me warm
I held close to my heart the handkerchief that smelled of her
As a reminder of her word.
Then one day we caught sight of shore
As soon as we anchored to the harbor
Her eyes caught sight of mine and my heart it beat in double time
But she said, “Son, I am betrothed to another.”

So tomorrow I set sail again
And I hope no maidens come a-callin’
Because all my days on the ocean, I have only learned the one thing:
Never trade your heart for a token

Recorded live at the Carborro Hint Festival by Todd Finch of The Sound Shop Mobile Recording. My talented friend Ken Johnson of Kind Strangers played guitar along with me that day.

SEA

Goodbye to my home
I’m going it alone
I’m in need of no one
And my path says, “onward”.

I’m a face without a name
I forsook the one you gave me
Have I fallen from your grace?
Have you not forsaken me?

Come down to where we lay
Naked and ashamed
Scalded but unscathed by the fire we started

Written by Erin Brown
Lead guitar: Ken Johnson
Recorded by Todd Finch
Copyright Erin Brown 2011

I wrote this song on Wednesday night and am really happy with the way it came out, but I can’t get it recorded quite right. This is my best take out of the very many attempts.

Enter a girl with a chip on her shoulder and the power to sever me
With the strength of a whisper or that shoulder turned colder
She can break me completely

Silent since September and a song on my budding lips
Or a budding song on them, whatever
Gone with the wind with the strength of my affections
That never really should have been

And they told me she was danger
But I went there and believed her
Oh in hindsight there were clear lines to the end times
What can I say? What did I say? What I should have said was goodbye

I knew she was bitter but I thought that it fit her
I thought that she wore it well
Well, the woe is that the kicker is that the road that is littered with compromises leads to hell.

And they told me she was bitter
But I went there and believed her
Oh in hindsight there were fault lines to the end times
What can I say? What did I say? What I should have said was goodbye.

We are born to this world with an outcry and pink blush
We’ll leave the world with just as much
You know, good things in time
And it’d be good if I’d bide mine
But it’s such a fine line to tow.

They told me she was danger
But I went there and believed her
Oh in hindsight there were clear signs of the end times
What can I say? What did I say? What I should have said was goodbye.

Written and recorded by Erin Brown
Copyright Erin Brown 2011

My new uke song that I’m quite happy with. I started writing it while I was stuck in a traffic jam, and finished it later that day.

She makes the day begin
Sometimes I swear I’m just a mess dressed in a person’s clothing.
She says she doesn’t care
She says it makes it interesting for her.
Which is golden.

She makes have the day have purpose
She plays with the tips of her hair when she’s nervous.
Oh yes.

And I’ve never felt so strong
I’ve never felt so sure
I’ve never felt such longing for anyone other than her.

She makes the world go round
I swear I felt my feet lift off the ground back there.
She said, “Do you believe in love?”
I said, “I used to, but I’m bitter.”
She called me a quitter
Oh, but I showed her.

Because I’ve never felt so strong
And I’ve never felt so sure
I’ve never felt so in love with anyone, ever
I’ve never felt like I belonged before I met her.

She makes me feel brand new
I swear I was just some musician fool
With her heart strings out of tune

Written and recorded by Erin Brown
Copyright Erin Brown 2011

Here’s a new song, and a welcome relief from a many month dry spell. Songwriting is such an ebb and flow for me, which I know and know, but during the ebb it always feels like I’ll never write a song I like again. And during the flow it feels like I’ll never stop writing things I like. So there you go. I’ll take it as no small coincidence that the influx of creativity seems to match up with my current trend of having a show nearly every weekend. Which I have enjoyed immensely.

Sweet thing, I know that your heart stings
And I think I know what you’ve been through
All those loves that you loved, Love, that never really loved you.
So come to me, cuz I believe that I feel the same way too
And I can’t always be great, but I’ll always be good.
I’ll always be good to you.

Your sweet heart’s been ripped apart
And, Lord, this world is hard enough
Without passing through to salt and pepper the wound
And swallow you right up.
Sweet thing, where do I begin?
I won’t be another name to add
To the list of loves that you loved, Love, that never loved you back
To the list of loves that you loved, Love, that never loved you back.

So come to me, I’m down on my knee
Asking you to meet me, asking you to believe me
When I say: Lovely, this is the day I wanna hear you say you wanna marry me
Don’t answer back now, think about it, I won’t back down
You can take your time
You’ve been burned
I’ve been hurt
Through it we’ve both learned time is a lovely ride
I’ve been hurt, you’ve been burned, through it we’ve both learned time is a lovely ride
Time is a lovely ride.

Sweet thing, I know your heart stings
Mine feels the same way too
But I won’t be the love that you loved, Love, that never really loved you.

Written and recorded by Erin Brown
Copyright Erin Brown 2011

Other version can be found here.

Mary I ain’t ever seen
Your face light up in so bright a beam
As the day I got down on my knee and asked for your hand
Was it love or necessity
That burned this flame so high a heat?
Just be as you are, I’ll be as I am
Never doubt what it was for me

Mary, Mary, marry me
On this cold day in January
With your ice blue eyes frozen in mine
What I thought was dead and buried
Mary, buried.
You warmed up in me, it’s beating again.

Mary, I ain’t ever seen
Your face burn quite so angry
As the day you stormed out on me and slammed the door
Mary, I tore every page that held your name out of the bible
And covered the floor with my shame.

Mary, Mary marry me
On this cold day in January
With your ice blue eyes
Frozen in mine.
What I thought was dead and buried
Mary, buried.
You warmed up in me, it’s beating again

And I’m on my knee
Crying, “Jesus!
Jesus, Mary!
Come here to me,
Kneel beside me,
Redeem me again”

Mary, Mary, marry me
Mary, Mary, marry me
Mary, Mary, marry me
Mary marry me.

Written and recorded by Erin Brown
Copyright Erin Brown 2011

In any case, I arrive in this new year armed with a great batch of musicy goals of all different varieties and am excited to see what this year holds and, frankly, would be thrilled if it were just as good as last year. So far so good. I hope everyone is well, and you’ll be hearing from me soon.

A song I wrote and recorded yesterday in a dormer in my room.

Mary I ain’t ever seen
Your face light up in so bright a beam
As the day I got down on my knee and asked for your hand
Was it love or necessity
That burned this flame so high a heat?
Just be as you are, I’ll be as I am
Never doubt what it was for me

Mary, Mary, marry me
On this cold day in January
With your ice blue eyes frozen on mine
What I thought was dead and buried
Mary, buried.
You warmed up in me, it’s beating again.

Mary, I ain’t ever seen
Your face burn quite so angry
As the day you stormed out on me and slammed the door
Mary, I tore every page that held your name out of the bible
And covered my floor with my shame.

Mary, Mary marry me
On this cold day in January
With your ice blue eyes
Frozen in mine
What I thought was dead and buried
Mary, buried.
You warmed up in me, it’s beating again

And I’m on my knee
Crying, “Jesus!
Jesus, Mary!
Come here to me,
Kneel beside me,
Redeem me again”

Mary, Mary, marry me
Mary, Mary, marry me
Mary, Mary, marry me
Mary marry me.

Written and recorded by Erin Brown
Copyright Erin Brown 2010