Around The Fire

Last July/August we were living on the ranch and one night we camped out with my boys and our good friend Jesse, an absolute legend, 60+ former Pitkin County Dept Sheriff, who was also the former of manager of the property. He’s the kind of guy that I want my kids to be around. His stories become applied lessons and a great exposure and perspective for me at 40 and certainly for my boys at 8, 7, and 4, at the time. We had a camp fire this night and it got me thinking about what songs I could sing. What stories could ‘I’ tell about some of my own life lessons? I took the thought a step further as I often do, what songs I could sing became a ringing thought around what do those songs say, what do I have to say, what does my life have to say for itself? I have a habit of taking a relatively light thought and making it too deep… a blessing and a curse I guess :)

So there I was, trying to figure out what my music was saying for itself, and it dawned on me, before looking out for anyone else, I really need to look into myself. I have a healthy self doubt that drives ego down and drives reflective thoughts and I believe those are often the seeds of great creativity. I believe this is a relatively cyclical process that we all share in.

I wanted the songs I sing around the fire to be very honest. Open. Exposed even. I’m driven by the search… For what? For learning and for progress and while I’ve had so much joy and experience in my life, more than I ever could have imagined frankly, I really obsess over evolving, over progress, over experience. Thus, I’m always wanting more. Not in a greed sense, I don’t need things, but in a growth sense. More perspective. More humility. More confidence. More wisdom. More life. Don’t we all?

One of my favorite lines in the song goes... This rainbows black and blue / It’s how you make in through / You stand alone, you make it home / Passport to something new

That’s the beauty of wanting more. You’re going to get beat up trying to new stuff, but when you have the confidence that comes from making it through you begin to trust yourself. The intra-life travel that you take when you expose yourself to something out of your comfort zone. The trip may be booked, the course may be charted, but the destination is always unknown. You Passport To Something New, and that became the name of the EP that I’ve been working on as it perfectly represents my mindset on the musically powered creative journey I’m on. I have two more songs coming with the EP full release next month; High School Commute and Thunderclouds.

This song ‘Around the Fire’ is unique in that I still have a real hard time playing it live… its pace, it’s lyrically dense verses, the emotional exposure… that said, its still one of my favorites. I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank Andrew Hollander for helping me bring this song (and the rest of the EP) to life. Andrew was able to deeply feel the search that I was on and helped in arranging these songs and helped capture and deliver these concepts on Passport To Something New. I’m so grateful and so proud of it… and hope you enjoy these tunes many times over.

Listen here:

Lyrics…

I’ve written all these songs 

I’ve been thinking all night long  

With the guilt of a liar

What’ll I sing around this fire…

I know that I’m a builder

Not sure if I’m a maker

Been acting like a hero

But I been feeling like a faker

Assume I’m not alone 

I probably haven’t shown

The truth about my soul

No, my cup is never full

I’m driven by the search,

Never sure what I will find

My wife and boys are story book

But my hearts in a bind

I don’t know how to say it

I’ve even tried to pray it

I’ve known it all along

So i put it in this song

This is who I am

I’m always wanting more

I say I hate the struggle

But I celebrate the score

I'm singing to this flame

But I can't feel the burn

I'll break my back, I'll get on track

Until I finally learn

I’ve never been content

Where do I go from here

I’ll keep writing songs

As I work to make that clear

Assume I’m not alone 

Do you feel it too?

Just know that I’ll go up and down

But I’ll always see it thru

Below the dark nights sky

I don’t know where you are

Cause this close to the fire

I’ve been blinded to the stars

I don’t know how to say it

I’ve even tried to pray it

I’ve known it all along

So i put it in this song

This is who I am

I’m always wantin more

I say I hate the struggle

But I celebrate the score

It’s never wasted time

Searching for the rhyme 

The work is what I love

And the word is whats sublime

The world has its laws

Mona Lisa has her flaws

But wuncha rather, people gather  

Your ego take the fall

Cause I’ve seen a spark to flame

The pride builds through the shame

Feel the sweat, don’t forget

Now you’re in the game

This rainbows black and blue

It’s how you make in through

You stand alone, you make it home

Passport to something new

I don’t know how to say it

I’ve even tried to pray it

I’ve known it all along

And I’ve found it in this song…

This is who I am

I’m always wantin more

I say I hate the struggle

But I celebrate the score

What if standing still 

Is all I need to do?

What if finding happiness 

Is holding onto you?