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  • May 10, 2020
justinalbaniel
Lullaby

LYRICS:

things will move fast

lost in the past

as fear holds your hand

and hope holds the other

if you run backwards

i will run forward

stretch my arms outward

what’s given will grow

just know

you’ve come from my love

and it stays

as long as you want

 

 

So I took on the perspective of a parent, not being one myself I hope it works out okay~~ I suppose that’s probably what others did too haha


Looking for feedback on

Any thoughts on lyrics? Is it cohesive enough?

Discussion

  • 12 Comments
Ryan May 21, 2020 4:08pm

This is my favorite submission of yours so far, Justin. Really admire how you managed to pull off an implicit chorus. We only get to hear the last section once because of the nature of a one minute long track, but it hits and feels like a perfectly-executed chorus. Quite in love with it, really.

nurphgun May 17, 2020 2:51pm

I’m growing to instantly recognize and love your sound. Great melody, as always. This is such small potatoes but for some reason the note sung on the phrase “the other” + the chord underneath it was a little too crunchy for me; I’d love to hear what it sounds like with the melody altered slightly at the end of that phrase so it leads into the next part. Honestly the lyrics are the true champion of this song. “Just know you’ve come from my love and it stays as long as you want”—holy shit. That’s a gorgeous and profound take on parenthood. Well done.

juliapiker May 12, 2020 2:01pm

your lyrics are beautiful. They feel like they come from a place of knowing and experience. I’m not a great lyricist so I often feel odd commenting on the lyrics other write, but these feel extremely cohesive and meaningful.
What kind of Piano are you using? I LOVE the sound.
Your voice is brilliant.

justinalbaniel May 12, 2020 8:06pm

Ahh thanks so much! So many kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed the track~~ I believe I used the Piano V2 from Arturia and possibly layered it with ‘The Giant’ by Native instruments and then added some roomy reverb. Thanks again!

justinalbaniel May 12, 2020 8:06pm

Ahh thanks so much! So many kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed the track~~ I believe I used the Piano V2 from Arturia and possibly layered it with ‘The Giant’ by Native instruments and then added some roomy reverb. Thanks again!

aubspeeps May 11, 2020 1:55pm

Ok wow I LOVE the lyrics! I love the push and pull between past and future, fear and hope, letting go and moving on; to me these are all essential to the process of growing up and I do feel the lyrics encompass the feelings of a parent watching this process occurring to their kiddo. Love the production and arrangement to, it all feels nostalgic and hopeful at the same time. Well done

justinalbaniel May 12, 2020 8:03pm

Ahh thanks, I love to hear how others see it.

nick May 11, 2020 10:35am

man it’s funny the things you gloss over. really didn’t think about the title until i read sam’s comment. anyway, I think this is wonderful. the lyric sam called out is superb. not just the lyric itself, but how “other” breaks the rhyme and introduces a new little rhythm. love it. my only lyrical critique would be where your final line is “as long as you want it.” Maybe there is a way to better get across that, whether you want it or not, it will be there. Just a thought from a theoretical parent.

justinalbaniel May 12, 2020 8:02pm

Thanks Nick! And yeah man I was stuck on that line, definitely not the strongest. Appreciate the feedback

nurphgunMay 17, 2020 3:02pm

^ Yeah, I agree with Nick; “whether you want it or not, it will be there” could be a powerful way to end it. Still there was something about “as long as you want” that I liked… I interpreted it more like, “I will *take care of you* as long as you want,” and when you’re ready to fly free, I’ll let you.

Sam Pearce May 10, 2020 10:42pm

I like the lyrics as they are. I’m also not a parent, but having been a child, this lyric hit me in the heart, “as fear holds your hand/and hope holds the other.” I found the melody and arrangement moving too. It feels like a more substantial journey than I’d expect from one minute. When I considered the titled, I free associated to Bad Bunny’s album YHLQMDLG (yo hago lo que me da la gana/I do what I feel like) and smiled at how different those two sentiments are, but more relevantly, I think the coded title is cool because it made me look into the lyrics to find it, like a secret that is eager to be known.

justinalbaniel May 12, 2020 8:01pm

Thanks so much! Yeah I had a couple songs in my recents with acronyms as titles like that new Bon Iver single, PDLIF and when I wrote it that way it felt pretty good. Love how you saw it