I don’t write with the intention of creating hits, but if I were to pick one song that’s most likely to be a hit, I would pick this song.  I am fond of the subtle arc in the lyrics — not a story, but this character definitely is moving from point A to B.

This song is probably as close as I’ll ever get to country balladry.  I can hear it with a twang and a fiddle.  It’s a very old song (1995) so it really doesn’t conform to any of the standards I set in my songwriting now (uh — rhyming?  what’s that?) but I’m not going to update this song.  This one is long done.

The recording below is a raw, bare-bone demo.

Aristotle's Hope: Out of the Ocean

 

I’ve been walking so far away
And I can’t remember what I came out here for
I thought I heard somebody crying
I tried to run, I tried to run but I ran in circles
My friends, I don’t know why we do this to ourselves
Like a butterfly attached to a string
I don’t want to think that we’re caught in forevermore
But all I do is to dream about the film

About going home

I’ve been flipping the pages of my life
And I can’t address the difference
Are there valleys between mountains
Or mountains between valleys
Is there anybody else around me
Or am I caught between the fences
I don’t know if I can hold on

‘Till I’m going home

I’ve been walking so far away
And I can’t remember what I came out here for
I thought I heard somebody crying
It was me all along
My friends, I don’t know why we do this to our dreams
Like a fish jumped out of the ocean
To jump right back into a bowl
I can’t walk any more
So I’m waiting here for you

To take me home