navigation arrows previous Will-o'-the-wisp next

Bottles and Spoons

Michael Channing

the last dying echo of precious applause
the lie of its love alive in your heart
you only remember the fat times and laughter
the struggles the stumbles are lost in the fog
it’s all gone now
it’s all burned down
it’s all gone now
till it sprouts from the ground

chasing a daydream you hungered for diamonds
you’d settle for rubies you ended with paste
searching the ocean you dreamt of an island
you found it surrounded by bottles and spoons
but it’s all gone now
soaked in the clouds
it’s all gone now
till it falls back down

alone in your room you signaled with flashlights
the answers reflected off windows of stone
you started a tunnel you ended at six feet
you buried the shovel and locked all the doors
but it’s all gone now
crated and drowned
it’s all gone now
till it comes unbound

you started a tunnel you ended at six feet

Liner Notes

This wasn't meant to be any particular person. It was an exercise in melody and image, building expecations then dashing them at the end of each line. I wrote the second and third verses in the shower in a flash of unexpected creativity, along with a first verse I replaced when preparing the song for posting. The original first verse didn't fit the theme of the album, as I didn't have a theme in mind when I wrote it.

I have a melody for this song. It's a slow one, fairly static in delivery. Maybe it could use an acoustic guitar, a piano. Wish I knew how to play those.

There are Plenty of Places to Hide


foolscap Home       Podcast       Essays       Poems       Songs       Videos       Stories       Images foolscap

Chokes and Warbles
Now Available

Chokes and Warbles, a collection of essays and poems by Michael Channing

May 11, 2018