Beneath the Willow Tree

I won't lie - my latest song definitely has a Country vibe to it. Starting with the plucked guitar riff and simple melody and ending with mandolin and banjo parts for flavor, this one has the laid back, open air feel to it that I've been trying to capture these past few months. The harmony is strong and basic and the chorus lifts the melody to a nice refrain. Nothing earth-shattering, just a nice, simple structure.

When writing the lyrics, I started to think back to some of the places that I've lived in the past 10 years and all of the different people that I knew. Each place seemed like "Home" while I was living there - the friends, colleagues, familiar places, sights, sounds, smells. Yet each time, the things that really made it seem like a home started to fade away (friends leaving, jobs ending, relationships coming apart) and eventually I took my cue to move on as well. Although I still idealize those places (and that time in my life), I still get the feeling that I may still be a long way from finding that final place I want to call home.

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There was a place I had a home
among the leaves, among the snow
and I still go there in my dreams
even though its not as perfect as it seems

and all my friends they moved on
and I couldn't figure out where I belonged
but luck and fate they always knew
that I'd always just come right back to you

Because where you are is never where you thought you'd be
and I can't seem to make myself believe
that in the end I'll find the place I was meant to be
fast asleep beneath the willow tree

The way we were it breaks my heart
because I couldn't imagine being apart
but then we were, and life went on
and I think of us each time I hear that song

And when the rain began to fall
and the sun began to call
I packed my things and drove away
and I haven't been back to this day

Because where you are is never where you thought you'd be
and I can't seem to make myself believe
that in the end I'll find the place I was meant to be
fast asleep beneath the willow tree