Album Song Stories: I’ll be Gone

Post number five of song stories from ‘Beauty Survives’ is the song I’ll Be Gone.

This is a tricky one to write as I have to remember!  Unlike the rest of the songs on the album, this one is very old.  I wrote it about 15 years ago now!!  I dug it out and dusted it off and put it on the album as it seemed to fit with the rest of the vibe – moving on to better things 🙂

I did rearrange the lyrics slightly, I dropped the key about a 4th and I remember Scott coming to me at a different gig of mine saying he’d been playing around with some brass on the song in the spaces as it was generally quite laid back and really free sounding, and the brass riffs just lifts the whole thing, which also for me makes the more reflective songs on the album sound more positive.  And that’s definitely what this song is about.  You can easily take lyrics on a page, read them and interpret them how you want to, but then it’s a poem.  Songs are not poems, they are musical and take on a different life when you add the mood and instrumentation you want to create the emotion you want to set.  And although this song says things such as “my soul is empty, I don’t live here anymore” it’s definitely not meant to be depressive.  I remember writing that thinking, my heart doesn’t lie in this place anymore, I need to leave, to get away and start again – and that to me was really exciting!

I finished writing this song about the time I was finishing my university music degree.  For my final recital performance, I had a theme of the “Songwriter’s Hall of Fame”.  I had always valued songwriters, having said that I discovered many of my favourite songwriters through artists I admired.  The last song I sang in that recital was a song called “Adios” written by Jimmy Webb, one of my favourite.  I knew the Linda Ronstadt version as she is also my favourite vocalist of all time.  I felt it was a great way to end my time at university, but also to put across my personal preferences whilst creating the best mood I could for endings.  I then dreamed of the “California Coast” he talks about in Adios, I had ambitions of leaving the UK at some point, the US seemed like a good idea.  I didn’t get there, unfortunately, but I did finish my song “I’ll Be Gone”.  I did try out Canada 5 years later!

If you haven’t listened to it before, please check out the very laid back, slightly jazzy, reflective and dreamy song I loved recording for this album – “I’ll Be Gone”

I’ll Be Gone

Music & Lyrcs Shelly Quarmby

Verse 1

Midnight is over 

and you’re all alone

I can’t see this ending, 

but only you know that

Summer is leaving

And the fields have lost their gold

And I keep on thinking 

About the truth you said you told me

 

Chorus

Are we just drifting

I’m only dreaming

You know I’m thinking 

What we’ve been putting off so long

So think of me tomorrow I’ll be gone

 

Verse 3

My soul is empty

I don’t live there anymore

And you were the one who taught me

What living was for

 

Chorus

Are we just drifting

I’m only dreaming

You know I’m thinking 

What we’ve been putting off so long

So think of me tomorrow I’ll be gone

 

And don’t think that I don’t understand

But I’m about to hit the ground

I can’t stay and listen to your reasons

It’s so hard when you’re around

 

Chorus

Are we just drifting

I’m only dreaming

You know I’m thinking 

What we’ve been putting off so long

So think of me tomorrow I’ll be gone

I’ll be gone

So think of me

Tomorrow I’ll be gone

Think of me 

Tomorrow I’ll be gone

Check out the song on the media or shop page of my website here. And follow the link below to spotify.

Listen on Spotify

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