June: One Breath at a Time

It's 9:20 p.m. on June 30. This one is down almost to the last hour of the month. I started this song at around 4:00, after procrastinating for the rest of the month. Of course, there were report cards and meetings and farewell parties and concerts and exhaustion to deal with in the last month of school, so I guess those are all good excuses.

Earlier in the month I had looked at some other lyrics I had written, sort of a futuristic look at Vancouver when no one lives there anymore cause no one can afford to and mostly it's empty houses and condos. The lyrics are complete, but I wasn't finding the music for the song, or feeling like this was the song I wanted to write.

Where did this song come from? I was looking back at rough drafts of lyrics and came across a page with a few ideas, and found myself wanting to turn them into a song. It's a melancholy song, reflecting my mood as this challenging school year is finally over.

The song is about the breath as a way to calm the mind. The lyrics are simple, and somewhat repetitive, as is the message. Hmmm, is this a theme for the year? Keeping myself calm through mindfulness and the breath?

It's a D minor 12/8 blues type song with a bridge. Not your typical blues form. For piano.


 One Breath at a Time

So many days, so many ways, life takes you down
So many times, so many times, life swings you round and around.
But the simplest thing, it's so easy to find
Will set you free from your own crazy mind.

One breath at a time, you'll find a quiet place
One breath at a time, you'll find a quiet place.

So many days, so many ways, you fall to your knees
So many times, so many times, your heart longs for release
But the simplest thing, it's so easy to find
Will set you free from your own crazy mind.

One breath at a time, you'll find a quiet place
One breath at a time, you'll find a quiet place.

 Always there, no need for despair
Always there, no never despair.

 One breath at a time, you'll find a quiet place
One breath at a time, you'll find a quiet place.

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