Behind: Prepared for War

Bam, bam!

 

I seem to write songs two at a time.  I started humming a melody line yesterday morning while getting ready and even began to pair it with lyrics.  When I sat down at the piano to try and come up with a chord progression, it sounded too much like "other songs".  It probably still does to some extent, but I tried to change the character of it by changing the rhythm and voicing.  It needs a bit more structure...I can see that already by listening to it a day after being written, but I like the path it's on.  It's a little more pop-py than my other tunes have been lately.  I wanted to try and do a walking bass in the left hand because it's a staple skill for most keyboardists, especially in the pop world.  I even fooled around with splitting the keys in half, using an electric bass sound in the lower register and a vintage keys sound in the upper, but I ended up resorting back to piano because I figured simple was better for the time being. 

This is probably one of my favorite songs I've written lyrically.  Mostly because it's advice that I've been given over the years and advice I need to remind myself of every day.  I'm not necessarily sure who the "She" is, but I guess she's more or less a combination of a motherly figure and a life coach.  The last tagline of the chorus "build a fire in the rain" is supposed to represent the concept of survival (You're probably all smart enough to figure that out). 

I've been wanting to write a song about the idea of feeling small, because let's face it: I'm pretty damn small.  My students like to remind me of this all the time.  "Miss Nikia...I'm taller than you.  That's crazy!"  Why yes, thanks for pointing that out, you degrading nine year old.  But in all seriousness, being small has left me with a chip on my shoulder, feeling like I constantly have to prove to the world that I'm not just a little girl.  Hence the line, "You gotta' prove you're not just a little girl".  (Is it all coming together now?)  I am not one to be pro-crazy feminist, in fact I find most of those women to be overbearing and unnecessary (oops), but I do think young girls need to learn what it means to be independent and capable.  Life is hard.  You can't cry in your cheerios and expect things to be given to you.  This song is a call to arms.  Fight, fight, fight!

xo.




Prepared for War

She said, girl you gotta grow some thicker skin
And girl you gotta learn what it means to win
You ain't gonna' have nobody in your corner when I'm gone.

And she said, child I tried to show you the better way
And child, I tried to teach you not to be afraid
You step outside, you better prepared for war.

If you wanna be somebody in this world
You gotta prove you're not just a little girl
If you want the people to know you by name
You better learn to build a fire in the rain.

She said, send your army of the noble
Claim your throne as rightful owner
You will be the leader of your cavalry

If you wanna be somebody in this world
You gotta prove you're not just a little girl
If you want the people to know you by name
You better learn to build a fire in the rain.

It's you who'll be the one to turn this around
It's you who'll be the one to make the trumpet sound

If you wanna be somebody in this world
You gotta prove you're not just a little girl
If you want the people to know you by name
You better learn to build a fire in the rain.