This song was written about being in love. I wrote it because I wanted to express how being in love is perfect and blissful. The idea that you can say anything with that person, that they keep you safe, that all you want is to be near them. The chorus speaks of shutting everything else, that all you want to do is be in that blissful state with that person rather than being out in the world. The second verse talks of how easy it is to be with that person, that you can forget the things of the past, the hurt and the pain, and that you don't need to say anything around them. To sit in silence is easy, and that is why the song ends on that line, for me it sums up the entire song. Peace, love and a cuppa coffee M x Bliss The honesty in your words Won't chase me away The safety of your arms Bids me to stay The nearness of you Is all I crave The warmth of your love Is all I need Shut the door Shut out the world There are no words For this endless bliss Once you let go Once you feel the same Forget the noise Forget the pain Silence comes easy No need for words I just want to lay With you forever Silence comes easy credits Words & Music Matt Finn Copyright Sixt3en Music 2021
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So the next track is Nevermore. The first line of the song had been with me since about 2014. I had tried and tried to write something with the lyric, but just couldn't seem to get anywhere with it. As my big writing spree began in 2020 and 2021, I went back to some old lyrics and worked on them to see if I could get a song out of them. This was one of them. I liked the idea of calling it Nevermore, more of a nod to the raven, and blackbird that feature so much through this album. As a track, I liked the way it sounded, I feel that it is more of an album track than a single, and it has only been played out once or twice. I am looking to re-record it for the Band in the Box album, and can't wait to see how it turns out.
Thanks for reading. Peace, Love and a Cuppa Coffee. Mx Nevermore Chasing clocks the deadline stops The sleep I used to know Pace the floor, slam the door stare into space Never more than this Trade it all for a kiss Never more than this But you still leave me wanting more. Never knew you could be so cold Thought you might care Haven't found the reason for The mess you made Never more than this Trade it all for a kiss Never more than this But you still leave me wanting more. I will leave you here In the place where you left me wanting more than you can ever give I can't move on I'm stuck in this place No one told me that I could hurt like this credits Words & Music Matt Finn Copyright Sixt3en Music 2021.
Blackbird was one of the tracks on this album that is the most personal to me. Creative people most often have struggles with mental health, and I am no different. I have always described my problem as having a raven on my shoulder. This song just gives some insight into that. There is not much to say about it, other than it is designed to be a conversation, asking if the other person can help to guide through the dark times. Although the title is Blackbird in terms of one word, the bridge separates it to two words, in order to encompass the raven. Take a listen to this and other tracks from this album.
Blackbird Over and again I ask the same old questions Will this be the time, these feelings change But the more I ask The answer moves further away And the monsters don't ever fade Will you hold my hand Will you see me through the night Will you comfort me and bring me through the storm. Never let me go Pull me close to you Say that you are mine and I am yours. I am yours. Every day the clouds roll in The days grow ever darker I wonder if I'll be ok When I know that I am weary And the thoughts get dark and scary you help me see another day. Will you hold my hand Will you see me through the night Will you comfort me and bring me through the storm. Never let me go Pull me close to you Say that you are mine and I am yours. I am yours. There's a black bird coming On to my shoulder today And he tells me all the things That I believe in anyway And those angel voices are Demons in disguise. Help me to find another way. credits Recorded at Sixt3en Studios Prague Copyright Sixt3en Music 2021.
This song came out of two separate lines I had written after the Laconic Symphonies album. I had this line about dancing with the devil and his silver spoon, and nothing to do with it. I also had the line with the needle sewn and the damage done. They never were intended to go together and I didn't know how to create a song from either of them.
When I was writing the Two Sides To Every Story album, I spent a lot of time going over the lyrics that I hadn't finished, trying to find songs that would fit with what I was trying to write. It took me 15 minutes to put these two together, and come up with more lyrics. They seemed to flow in a way some songs just do. The bridge came with the line "There's two sides to every story, tell me yours", and with that the album name was born. I like this song as an album opener as I feel it has a strength and a power to it that had been missing in my writing before. I am hoping to give it a treatment under the Band in the Box project, I want to see how it sounds with electric guitars, drums and bass. Take a listen and enjoy the song. Peace, Love and a Cuppa Coffee M x When you dance with the devil and his silver spoon it appears you pay the price If he leaves you torn he can always return just to take another slice When I met you, I never really knew, the road that you had walked But as the crack opens wide and he drew you inside, I could tell how the devil stalked With the evil sewn and the damage done, will you ever get close to anyone again? With the evil sewn and the damage done, you say you'll never get close to anyone again. Will you ever get close to anyone again? When you've opened your heart and the healing starts why do you shut it down With every cross word and the feeling its caused are you surprised I'm hurt I'd hoped by now you'd have figured out how to let somebody in But I guess that you've decided you'd rather hide it, or that I am not him With the evil sewn and the damage done, will you ever get close to anyone again? With the evil sewn and the damage done, you say you'll never get close to anyone again. Will you ever get close to anyone again? You say that you don't belong Tell me I'm wrong There's two sides to every story Tell me yours, tell me yours Words & Music Matt Finn Recorded at Sixt3en Studios Prague Copyright Sixt3en Music 2021.
Two Sides to Every Story was an album that came out of lockdown and Covid. Having written nothing since the tracks that I had for Southern Boy in the North and being stuck at home during a lot of the Covid outbreak, I found myself in January of 2021 writing a new track . Spotlight came out of the live streams that I was doing and the fact that I was missing playing on stages. Blackbird came not long after in February. I set to playing it out live along with Spotlight, and then moved into laying the tracks down to make an EP. I knew I would need a few more tracks to make it worthwhile recording, and so I began trying to write some more songs. Nevermore was written from some lyrics I had laid to one side some years ago, whilst Tomorrow Never Comes felt like a response to the Covid situation, in that I felt we needed to celebrate life whilst we could, as it felt like tomorrow was something that never came.
By June I felt I had written enough songs with Damage Done, in order to make a decent 5 track EP. The lyric "Two Sides To Every Story" became the EP title. It spoke to me on a number of levels, I will blog about that one day, today is not that day haha. In August I had been looking at some of my old recordings, and felt that my album from 2019 Laconic Symphonies, had missed a title track. Not for want of trying I might add, I just never finished the song in time. I finished the song, and rewrote Jekyll and Hyde. The EP was getting longer and longer. Over the Summer period of 2021, I had time to write more songs as I wasn't at work. The last two songs that I would write for this album came out of this time, both Bliss and Misfits were finished over the summer. A 9 track album didn't feel right for me, so I went back through some old songs I had never recorded, and so the 10th track became Not Giving You Up. Recording itself got put to one side as the Summer came to an end, I had been away for a long time, and also I went back to my day job. I was exceptionally busy. But at the end of September I got back into the studio and started recording for the album. I spent a month recording the vocals and the guitar parts. I then decided I wanted to make the album sound even bigger, so during my holiday, I borrowed a cajon and started work on adding layers to the tracks. Once I had finished, I worked on the songs mixing and mastering them. I set a date for the album and the corresponding single. The rest is history. I will explore the songs in detail over the next 10 weeks. Enjoy Peace, Love and a Cuppa Coffee M x
So we come to the final track of this EP. I have enjoyed looking at these tracks again. Exploring my writing and looking again at the reasons why I wrote songs, helps me to understand the process and has really opened my eyes to new songs and new ways of writing.
This song is a one sided conversation about communication. Often in relationships, the failure is in the fact people don't talk. This song is about how the desire to talk should be above all else. I was sat at home thinking about these things, and the chorus line came out with "why can't we talk about it?", and the rest of the lyrics kind of poured out from there in a stream of consciousness. The song is written as if there is a conversation going on, but only one person is talking. It ends on an elongated verse, to punctuate the feeling that you want to be wanted. I think that desire is in most people's heart. Next week I want to look at the last work that I put out, Two Sides To Every Story. It's an album that meant a lot, and still does today. I hope you will join me for it. Peace, love and a cuppa coffee x Talk Can we go back to the start? Pretend like things were before Take back the love that we had Can we go back to the start? Don't tell me everything's changed When my love remains When all that I want is you Don't tell me everything's changed Why can't we talk about it Admit we were wrong Admit that it always was us all along Say all the things That we wanted to say Just stop pretending that we are ok Why can't we talk about it? X3 Can we just stop this pretence Take off the masks and stop talking around the things we should talk about Can we just stop this pretence Don't make me out to be wrong Or the last one to speak Help me to get back what we had. Don't make me out to be wrong Why can't we talk about it Admit we were wrong Admit that it always was us all along Say all the things That we wanted to say Just stop pretending that we are ok Why can't we talk about it? X3 Now's not the time to throw stones Just let me hold you close Bring back the memories of yesterday Now's not the time to throw stones I want you to say this mans mine Tell me that I can be yours Let's tear the world apart I want you to say this mans mine Make this a brand new start I want you to say this mans mine Fulfill the promises we made. I want you to say this mans mine credits Words & Music - Matt Finn © 2019 Sixt3en Music
On to the fourth track, Bubble. This song came out of a conversation about love and being in love. How during the early stages, it is like being in a bubble. As long as the bubble lasts, the love feels amazing and you can get completely lost in it. This song was the last track written in Folkestone before I came back north. The chords came almost as soon as the song. I don't write that many happy songs, but this one feels happy to me. Have a listen. Enjoy and think about how life is in the bubble. :)
Peace, love and a cuppa coffee :) M x Bubble Laying back with your head on my chest Never gonna let you go I can’t let you go Your touch is intoxicating Love is in your eyes I can see it in your eyes I’m lost in you, You are lost in me, Nothing else matters in the state we’re in I can barely breathe My senses lose their way And I surrender all I am to you In the bubble Sinning over and over again The feel of your skin As we’re moving as one I know you're scared to let go I will not hurt you You are safe in my arms Run away with me, Let’s get away from here Lose ourselves in all we know Run away with me, Don’t look back We can leave it all behind. Words & Music - Matt Finn © 2019 Sixt3en Music On to the third track, Home. This chorus line of 'Still I find my way back home' came whilst I was home in Folkestone. I had intended to write a slew of songs whilst I was home, record the demos, be ready to record my next EP or album. Instead the single line stayed with me the whole time. I got terrible writers block and was extremely frustrated. In the end I got through that block, wrote Home, and had 3 songs to take back North. I spent a long time thinking about the past, and that is reflected in the writing. I feel the positives are found in the chorus and the final verse, where home is found not in the place, but in the connections we make.
Peace, love and a cuppa coffee :) M x Home Walking out upon the waves as they crash upon the shore Looking out to the horizon I can reach it I'm sure Listening to the sound of the people rushing by Never stopping to think never wondering why Still I find my way Still I find my way Still I find my way Back home Many miles from the start, many years have turned me grey Decisions made, plans change, closing chapters, losing days Beginnings end, ends begin and I finally know my mind Got to mend the shattered past, got to seek until I find. Family story, family history, the choices that we make. Turn my back on what I knew, find the new in what we forsake. Never knowing that i could find the home I never knew. Finding home was what I found when I found you. Words & Music - Matt Finn © 2019 Sixt3en Music
So to look at the second track, Never Let You Go, this track was more of a challenge to myself than anything else. This was a personal track that, despite it's upbeat rhythmic style and sound, had deeper running undertones.
The verses talk about meeting someone who has been emotionally damaged by their past, someone who has been mistreated by their past. They speak of hurt and loss. The chorus is the counterpoint to that, it gives hope, but doesn't really answer the question. It just asks whether they are loved enough that they will never be let go. One of the things I like most about this song is it's simplicity. It is only two verses and a chorus. And yet when played live, using the chords and bass notes I have, it sounds like a full song, even when only played on acoustic. It has been in nearly every original set since it was written, and I don't see it coming out any time soon. As always, Peace, Love and a Cuppa Tea M x Never Let You Go You've been through more than Anyone could have Anyone should have, more than you deserve You've been let down by The ones who claimed to Really love you, but never really did And I guess the only thing That you really need to know Is do I love you enough To never let you go I wonder why they Wanted to hurt you Their love really bruised you, I see the scars It's really been hard to See you go through this But all I want is, to be in your life Words & Music - Matt Finn © 2019 Sixt3en Music
So to look at the tracks... gotta start with Southern Boy in the North. I moved to Manchester in 2015. All the time I lived there, even though I felt at home in the North, I was always seen by people as the Southerner. I came to own that and love that about who I was. Southern Boy became my autobiographical song about where I started and where I got to by the time that song was written.
The song is about my musical journey, which for me feels like it started at 18, picking up the guitar again and when I truly decided that music was my thing. The 'you' in the end of the first verse is not about a person, but about a place. All roads up to that point led to the North. The chorus refers to a joke I always made about how going past the M25 meant I was finally in the North, where I found my home, and became the Southern Boy in the North. As I've got older the people on my journey have changed, but music has remained a part of my life. No matter where I go, no matter what, I feel like the Southern Boy will remain my identity. So this song will remain in my set for years to come. Peace, love and a cuppa tea Southern Boy in the North Started in the south, when I was just 18 Time and tide has changed my point of view Looking back on all the time I never thought I'd have Never thought this road would lead to you Past the 25 and up past the places I know I guess I'm now a southern boy in the north Strange as it may seem I've found my home, where I belong Let's hear it for the southern boy in the north People come and people go and places change around me This life has changed my jet black hair to grey But I know now what I didn't know then, that the show it must go on It's made me into the man I am today. No regrets, no turning back Let's hear it for the southern boy in the north I'm moving on, I'm changing pace Let's hear it for the southern boy in the north.... Words & Music - Matt Finn © 2019 Sixt3en Music |
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