I really liked this one of Ramit’s pictures when I picked it out, and when I got around to writing the music it wasn’t actually all that hard (you’ll notice that today’s song is basically a waltz). But the lyrics really didn’t come easy. I was all ready to finish the song off this morning, but I literally had no ideas for lyrics, other than the obvious fact that these figures looked to me like they were dancing. Only hours later did the twist strike me: just as every ant looks the same to me, so must every human to a bird. And though the dancers in the picture are obviously “figural,” they aren’t necessarily human. Why not an alien dance party? Indeed, why not…
—Lyrics—
birds in the rafters at county fairs
we must look the same to them dancing there
clutched with our arms so tight
moving with feet so light
under a starless night
praying for rain
praying for rain
aliens came to the fields one night
stayed well away from the farmhouse lights
stepped with their frames so slight
shining their eerie lights
under the starless night
they start to dance
they start to dance
we’re not so different
no we’re not so different
holding each other
like no one else matters at all
after some time they were happy tired
packed up the party and went inside
fired up the rockets and sailed away
surely to find somewhere else to play
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Really creative (and beautiful) way to give this pic a voice. Kudos.
Really beautiful and sweet. It makes the picture come alive.