Jon Porobil - Frayed Elevator Cable (SHADOW)

from SpinTunes 21 Round 1 by Spintunes

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about

Sometimes writing can take you in unexpected directions. I started writing what I thought would be a song about living in a precarious financial state, but ended up being about visiting home for my father's funeral. Anyway... Happily, the direction this song took allowed me to use two new additions to my studio: a recently modified acoustic guitar with "Nashville" tuned strings, and a brand-new mandolin I just acquired two weeks ago. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone else's songs this competition, and good luck to all!

lyrics

I got that call and I was on the first plane South
Couldn't speak to the attendant - my heart in my mouth
It's just as well going thirsty
I'd been thinking about falling off the wagon

Now we're in a hotel lobby, weary and sore
My brain in a fog, my eyes on the floor
The sliding door is stuck open
I guess I was supposed to bring her bag in

Taking off my foggy glasses
Mopping sweat from my wet hair
Push the button and I feel us rise
But God only knows if we'll ever get there

My daughter likes to jump right before we reach the top
A millisecond of free fall, she can feel her stomach drop
A fun game for a child
But I already feel that way too often

Taking off my foggy glasses
Mopping sweat from my wet hair
Push the button and I feel us rise, but-

The shake of the car, the creak of the gears
Anticipation breaks me out in hives
She's bent at the knees, her body in tension
For the longest ride of our short lives

A ratty hymnal, motes of dust in stained-glass light
I picture you with wings; Icarus in flight

Taking off my foggy glasses
Mopping sweat from my wet hair
Push the button and I feel us rise
But God only knows if we'll ever get there

Mmm, God only knows
God only knows
If we'll ever get

credits

from SpinTunes 21 Round 1, released September 5, 2023

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Spintunes Union, South Carolina

Spintunes is a semi-annual songwriting contest. Every other week, the competitors receive a challenge and a week to meet it.

Each album on this site contains the responses to a single challenge.