Wordsmith Wednesday: Keaton Henson’s “Small Hands”

This week’s Wordsmith Wednesday is from the song “Small Hands” off of Keaton Henson’s album Dear. It goes,

“Get distracted by my music
think of nothing else but art
I’ll write my loneliness in poems,
if I can just think how to start”

A struggle that I never seem to be able to win is the tug of war between wanting to write, and create, and master, and actually being able to begin. One of the hardest parts of writing is conquering the fear of starting, the fear of creating something unworthy, so you stop, you quit before ever beginning. Appreciating, and getting lost in other people’s music is easy, but creating something yourself is a whole other ordeal. Once you begin though, once pen and mind are put to paper, the process of writing often flows naturally. All that is often needed is a nice, hard shove.

– KK

Wordsmith Wednesday: Murder By Death’s “End of the Line”

This week’s Wordsmith Wednesday is from the final song, “End of the Line,” off of Murder By Death’s 2003 album Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?

It reads,

“I can hear the rails a rattlin’ against the hectic fray so set the bone with a cardboard split and strike the nail against the flint and set the fields on fire let the devil come let him come I’ll be waitin’ for him this time I am stronger now and I can fight it I’ll be waitin’ at the end of the line at the end of the line.”

What is so amazing about this set of words is that it is the final lines of an album that tells a terrifying story. Beginning with the song “The Devil in Mexico,” we are introduced to the Devil and the town he’s come to claim. Even in song we receive a detailed, eerie, complex, description of him and know that he has all the worst intentions. Murder By Death aren’t trying to tell an emotional, pulling at the heart strings tale, just the oldest story of a town defending its home from an all-encompassing evil.

– KK

Wordsmith Wednesday: Waxahatchee’s “La Loose”

This week’s Wordsmith Wednesday comes from Waxahatchee‘s song “La Loose” from the album “Ivy Tripp” on Merge Records.

 

The lines are:

 

“I know that I feel more than you do/

I selfishly want you here to stick to”

 

For anyone that’s ever been in an emotionally lopsided relationship, romantic or otherwise, Katie Crutchfield’s lyrics here sum up that experience beautifully in just seventeen words. Admitting you need another person is difficult, especially when that feeling of dependence is not mutual. These lines always feel like a sheepish nod to certain insecurities of my own when I hear them.

 

– NR

Wordsmith Wednesday: Pujol “Getnhard”

In honor of Freakin’ Weekend VII, our words this week come from Pujol‘s “Getnhard” off the record X File On Main St, released on Infinity Cat Recordings back in 2011.

The lyrics are:

“I’m just going to do/
Exactly what I want/
But try really hard/
To not hurt anyone/
Too hard”

In the years since these lyrics were written, Nashville-based musician/writer/bunny dad Daniel Pujol has built a reputation for engaging classic issues and contemporary ideas in a thoughtful, nuanced way rarely seen in rock’n’roll. While there are a handful of other lines I thought about highlighting, these words are about as close as any song comes to articulating my basic belief system, so here they are. Expression of personal liberty and empathy are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

So consider yourself warned, Nashville. This weekend, I’m just going to do exactly what I want and what I want is to FREAK.

– NR

P.S.: Check out some of Daniel’s poems in our second issue!

Wordsmith Wednesday: Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower”

Our words this week are the first sentence to Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series.

The sentence reads:

“The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.”

These words set the tone for the book series that spanned Stephen King’s entire career and skill set. These lines, as the series itself, draw the reader into an epic yet simple story of a man’s pursuit of his enemy as well as his obsession. In twelve words, King submerses you in the world he is about to create in your head, into a scene expansive yet full of suspense. This series was the first Stephen King I ever read and has connected me to my father, friends, girlfriend, and other fans of the gunslinger’s journey since early adolescence. I’m looking forward to returning to Mid-World some time soon, whether on screen or on page.

Thankee sai.

– NR