Hold The Devil Down
by @sapient
Liner Notes
"Bzzzt.. crackle... We now interrupt the scheduled broadcast for today to bring you something quite different..."
Bit of a backstory to this one. For about a year now I've been taking singing lessons, and absolutely LOVING it. The usual Sapient "big voice", as I've taken to calling it, comes so easily to me, and I wanted to really challenge myself to see what else there is in there.
As a run-up to FAWM I've been working with my vocal coach on how melodies work, what the underlying chords can do, and practicing melodic improvisation. My homework for this week was to write a simple song in E major about a sunny day that's overshadowed by dark clouds.
To say I failed at this assignment might not be completely true. This song IS in E major after all, but I'm not sure I really totally nailed the brief... oops...
However, I come away from the experience with a new-found respect for all of you who actually use proper chords and think hard about chord progressions and how to turn them into songs. I find the chugga-chugga SO MUCH EASIER 😀
#not_metal #lovesong #maybe
Lyrics
Blue sky flecked with grey
At the edges of my heart
Shadows dancing on the water
Mark the moments we’re apart
Sunlight pools in corners
Dust sparkles in the air
Staring down these lonely hours
But my ghosts don’t seem to care
Feed me stories
Feed me lies
Give me everything that dies
I turn the day round
I hold the devil down
For you
At night I miss it most
Love pushing at the door
Footsteps just behind me
There’s nothing I want more
Feed me stories
Feed me lies
Give me everything that dies
I turn the day round
I hold the devil down
For you
Bitter ashes of better days
The foolish take their turn
Star-crossed lovers stand
As sorrow starts to burn
Feed me stories
Feed me lies
Give me everything that dies
I turn the day round
I hold the devil down
For you
You fed me stories
You fed me lies
I still want everything that dies
I’ll break this new ground
I’ll hold this devil down
With you
Comments
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Seriously, great arrangement. I really like the organ in the middle 8 section and that delayed clean lead.
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Right, second time round. Appreciating the ebb and flow as being on theme for song. The stark, stormy 'metal' lyrics are quite at home in this genre. Some of us just have to try to hold the devil down quietly.
Even thinking back as recently as 'Roads go on', I can see the work you're putting in to your vocals and chord progressions are paying off.
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And a big round of applause for your vocal teacher.
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This is great and, dare I say, sweet? You've been really working on the vocals, and I hear some really great things (If you want a hint or two, let me know). You've got some good control at the top end. And for a man who usually throws lyrics in as an afterthought, these are good!
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It's nice to hear you singing again. This is really nicely done. I like that the lyric still fits the usual Sapient motif anyway.
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