a-memory-finds-its-name.yaml 30 KB

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  1. Album: A Memory Finds Its Name
  2. Artists:
  3. - Circlejourney
  4. Date: March 30, 2021
  5. Date Added: April 13, 2024
  6. URLs:
  7. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/album/a-memory-finds-its-name
  8. Cover Artists:
  9. - Circlejourney
  10. Wallpaper Artists:
  11. - Circlejourney
  12. - Niklink (edits for wiki)
  13. Wallpaper Style: 'opacity: 0.65;'
  14. Cover Art File Extension: png
  15. Additional Files:
  16. - Title: Album Booklet
  17. Files:
  18. - A Memory Finds Its Name - booklet.pdf
  19. Color: '#FAD7AD'
  20. Groups:
  21. - Circlejourney
  22. - Beyond
  23. Commentary: |-
  24. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  25. I dedicate this album to everyone I’ve ever loved.
  26. Thanks for checking out A Memory Finds Its Name! It means a lot. I have a fraught relationship with my voice. It’s partly vocal dysphoria, partly low self-esteem from criticism as a teen. In 2014, my self-doubt resulted in me removing every single track containing my voice from Bandcamp, and replacing it with an instrumental version.
  27. It has taken me almost ten years to finally feel at home with my voice, despite the mismatch with what I wish it sounded like. Getting a new mic this January also helped—I can now produce almost studio-standard work from my bedroom!
  28. Here’s a collection of both brand new songs and songs from as far back as 2011, whose lyrics are finally seeing the light of day. A lot of them explore the twilight between joy and parting, between love and loss. The title is about me breathing new life into old songs, but it is also about rediscovering and putting names to things once lost.
  29. Many thanks to [[artist:chichii|Emmara]] for collabing with me on Summer Heat, and to everyone whose enthusiasm has spurred me to finish this in record time!
  30. ---
  31. Section: Main album
  32. ---
  33. Track: Summer Heat
  34. Duration: '03:41'
  35. Contributors:
  36. - CHICHII ! (additional vocals)
  37. URLs:
  38. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/summer-heat-feat-chichii
  39. Lyrics: |-
  40. Two, three, four
  41. Summer heat
  42. Draw your blade on me
  43. You know that beat
  44. Won't you say that you'll hold me
  45. Summer rain
  46. In the air tonight
  47. I'll regret it someday
  48. but for now it feels so right
  49. Summer heat
  50. Draw your blade on me
  51. You know that beat
  52. Won't you say that you'll hold me
  53. Summer rain
  54. In the air tonight
  55. I'll regret it someday
  56. but for now it feels so right
  57. Oh, her burning eyes
  58. Cut me like a knife
  59. She could kill me, I
  60. Would thank her for it
  61. She will never see
  62. While she's near to me
  63. I will always be
  64. Trapped in her orbit
  65. She could break me in two
  66. She'll remake me anew
  67. If she said, me and you
  68. Could you take it
  69. Ooh, I would bow in defeat
  70. Lay myself at her feet
  71. From the day that we meet
  72. My life is forfeit
  73. Oh, just one dance (Oh, her burning eyes cut me like a knife)
  74. And I know (She could kill me, I would thank her for it)
  75. In a glance (She will never see while she's near to me)
  76. I love her so (I will always be trapped in her orbit)
  77. If I dared (She could break me in two, she'll remake me anew)
  78. I'd let it show (If she said, me and you, could you take it)
  79. But I'm scared (Ooh, I would bow in defeat, lay myself at her feet)
  80. To let her go (From the day that we meet, my life is forfeit)
  81. Summer heat
  82. Draw your blade on me
  83. You know that beat
  84. Won't you say that you'll hold me
  85. Summer rain
  86. In the air tonight
  87. I'll regret it someday
  88. but for now it feels so right
  89. Summer heat (Oh, just one dance)
  90. Draw your blade on me (And I know)
  91. You know that beat (In a glance)
  92. Won't you say that you'll hold me (I love her so)
  93. Summer rain (If I dared)
  94. In the air tonight (I'd let it show)
  95. I'll regret it someday (But I'm scared)
  96. But for now it feels so right
  97. Summer sky
  98. Tell me where to find her
  99. 'Cause in my eye
  100. I would hold her forever
  101. Summer rain
  102. Show me to my future
  103. The day we met
  104. It's like I always knew her
  105. Two, three, four
  106. Summer heat
  107. Draw your blade on me
  108. You know that beat
  109. Won't you say that you'll hold me
  110. Summer rain
  111. In the air tonight
  112. I'll regret it someday
  113. but for now it feels so right
  114. Summer heat
  115. Draw your blade on me
  116. You know that beat
  117. Has me wanting your body
  118. Summer rain
  119. In the air tonight
  120. I'll regret it someday
  121. But let's dance in the moonlight
  122. Summer heat (Oh, her burning eyes cut me like a knife)
  123. Draw your blade on me (She could kill me, I would thank her for)
  124. You know that beat (She will never see, while she's near to me)
  125. Won't you say that you'll hold me (I will always be, trapped in her orbit)
  126. Summer rain (She could break me in two, she'll remake me anew)
  127. In the air tonight (If she said me and you, could you take it)
  128. I'll regret it someday (Ooh, I would bow in defeat, lay myself at her feet)
  129. but for now it feels so right
  130. Summer heat
  131. Draw your blade on me
  132. You know that beat
  133. Won't you say that you'll hold me
  134. Summer rain
  135. In the air tonight
  136. I'll regret it someday
  137. but for now it feels so right
  138. Summer heat (Oh, just one dance)
  139. Draw your blade on me (And I know)
  140. You know that beat (In a glance)
  141. Has me wanting your body (I love her so)
  142. Summer rain (If I dared)
  143. In the air tonight (I'd let it show)
  144. I'll regret it someday (But I'm scared)
  145. but let's dance in the moonlight
  146. Commentary: |-
  147. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  148. I am always chasing the summery bubblegum pop sound, and this track, I feel, is the closest I’ve ever come to hitting the mark.
  149. Despite the cheerful outward appearance, I wanted to capture an undercurrent of hopeless longing and ephemerality—when you know the excitement is bound to end too soon, but you enjoy it anyway, almost in defiance of that knowledge.
  150. The bird you hear midway through is an Asian koel, which I associate strongly with the dusk (when its cries are heard), nostalgia, and now with my home in Singapore.
  151. I’m really happy that I got to get my friend Emmara to sing on this song! She’s an amazing vocalist and musician; you can check out her YouTube channel here.
  152. ---
  153. Track: Life's a Mind Game
  154. Duration: '04:35'
  155. URLs:
  156. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/lifes-a-mind-game
  157. Lyrics: |-
  158. That's just how, how it moves
  159. Life's a mind game, with no rules
  160. You will win till you lose
  161. Same old story, same old news
  162. That's just how, how it moves
  163. Life's a mind game, with no rules
  164. You will win till you lose
  165. Same old story, same old news
  166. She says she's not looking for a partner
  167. Next month she's dating someone hotter
  168. I'm cute to everyone but not her
  169. That's how it goes
  170. He says you wanna bang for one night
  171. I say not my idea of fun, like
  172. Next day he goes makeouts are fine, right
  173. That's how it goes
  174. Everywhere I go, Everyone I know,
  175. Just another comedy about to start
  176. Won't someone tell me how to play my stupid part
  177. Look like I belong
  178. Try to learn the words by heart
  179. Then I say them wrong
  180. I used to think there was a trick, that there was a key
  181. Something everybody knew but me, but I've come to see
  182. Life's a circus and we're doomed to be
  183. Clowning until we kick the bucket and then we're free
  184. That's just how, how it moves
  185. Life's a mind game, with no rules
  186. You will win till you lose
  187. Same old story, same old news
  188. That's just how
  189. How it moves
  190. Life's a mind game, with no rules
  191. You will win till you lose
  192. Same old story, same old news
  193. Breakup was back in 2019
  194. Since then I've fallen in a routine
  195. See someone new, no words, break down
  196. The saddest thing you've ever seen
  197. It's like a shitty B-rate movie
  198. So bad you feel a little sorry
  199. For everyone who's in the show
  200. And I would know
  201. I guess I'll get lost in a story
  202. Roleplay's the way, I won't be sorry
  203. Then bam, DM gives us a hottie
  204. And I'm too scared to flirt (Goddammit)
  205. I guess I'm doomed to make no progress
  206. Let's face the truth, I'm just a hot mess
  207. I'll probably always be anxious
  208. And life will always hurt
  209. That's just how, how it moves
  210. Life's a mind game, with no rules
  211. You will win till you lose
  212. Same old story, same old news
  213. That's just how, how it moves
  214. Life's a mind game, with no rules
  215. You will win till you lose
  216. Same old story, same old news
  217. (One)
  218. That's just how, how it moves (She says she's not looking for a partner)
  219. (Two)
  220. Life's a mind game, with no rules (Next month she's dating someone hotter)
  221. (Three)
  222. You will win till you lose (I'm cute to everyone but not her)
  223. (Four)
  224. Same old story, same old news (That's how it goes)
  225. (That's how it goes)
  226. (One)
  227. That's just how, how it moves (He says you wanna bang for one night)
  228. (Two)
  229. Life's a mind game, with no rules (I say not my idea of fun, like)
  230. (Three)
  231. You will win till you lose (Next day he goes makeouts are fine, right)
  232. (Four)
  233. Same old story, same old news (That's how it goes)
  234. That's just how, how it moves (She says she's not looking for a partner)
  235. Life's a mind game, with no rules (Next month she's dating someone hotter)
  236. You will win till you lose (I'm cute to everyone but not her)
  237. Same old story, same old news (That's how it goes)
  238. That's just how, how it moves (He says you wanna bang for one night)
  239. Life's a mind game, with no rules (I say not my idea of fun, like)
  240. You will win till you lose (Next day he goes makeouts are fine, right)
  241. Same old story, same old news (That's how it goes)
  242. (That's how it goes)
  243. Commentary: |-
  244. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  245. This song came to me as I was waiting for the bus, the day after someone I barely knew hit on me, even though I had not remotely expressed interest—and then tried it again after I told him no.
  246. The song quickly evolved into a great big vent about the year and a half starting in late 2019, a period that was chock full of romantic encounters that were almost hilariously terrible in hindsight.
  247. There are times when life just feels like playing a game without knowing the rules, and nowhere more than in the realm of romance and dating. I’m just too socially-inept to know how to handle all this confusing nonsense.
  248. I hope the song is enjoyable; it would be the one good thing to come of all of it.
  249. ---
  250. Track: When All Is Gone
  251. Duration: '04:22'
  252. URLs:
  253. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/when-all-is-gone
  254. Lyrics: |-
  255. I am a child of rain and fire
  256. Born from the blight, bound by a birthright
  257. Buried in the centuries of dust and daylight
  258. I am the daughter of a woman
  259. Who shone brighter than the sun
  260. She gave me her chain, told me to run
  261. Not one day passes where I don't say her a prayer
  262. In every stream, I see my home
  263. In every dream I dream, I roam
  264. Beneath the sky, everything I've known
  265. Is doomed die, while I wander on
  266. When all is gone
  267. In shadow since the world was shattered
  268. The lands are in decay
  269. In the ruins you know better
  270. Than hope anything will stay but
  271. I dared to love, to love another
  272. held tight to all that I held dear
  273. I always knew she'd disappear
  274. Everywhere, every mile
  275. In every shadow, her smile
  276. I still bear every trial in this barren exile
  277. In every stream, I see my home
  278. In every dream I dream, I roam
  279. Beneath the sky, everything I've known
  280. Is doomed die, while I wander on
  281. When all is gone
  282. I go on, I go on, there's more road ahead
  283. Nothing left, nothing left, nothing left for dead
  284. Not until, not until all is done and said
  285. I defy, I defy, till I bleed out red
  286. I go on, I go on, there's more road ahead
  287. Nothing left, nothing left, nothing left for dead
  288. Not until, not until all is done and said
  289. I defy, I defy, till I bleed out red
  290. In every stream, I see my home
  291. In every dream I dream, I roam
  292. Beneath the sky, everything I've known
  293. Is doomed die, while I wander on
  294. When all is gone (Till I bleed out red)
  295. In every stream (I go on, I go on, there's more road ahead)
  296. I see my home (Nothing left, nothing left, nothing left for dead)
  297. In every dream (Not until, not until all is done and said)
  298. I dream, I roam (I defy, I defy, till I bleed out red)
  299. Beneath the sky (I go on, I go on, there's more road ahead)
  300. Everything I've known (Nothing left, nothing left, nothing left for dead)
  301. Is doomed die, while I wander on (Not until, not until all is done and said)
  302. When all is gone
  303. Commentary: |-
  304. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  305. Not to be a total nerd, but this song is about my Dungeons & Dragons character.
  306. Specifically, it is about Ajai, the paladin I play in my main D&D campaign (yes, the one I referenced in [[track:lifes-a-mind-game]]). I couldn’t find any music accurately reflecting her aesthetic for her playlist, so I took matters into my own hands and wrote the song I wished I could find.
  307. Sentimental and protective, Ajai clings to the memory of every person she’s loved long after they have left. Despite the bleakness of the horizons she pursues, she continues to be full of compassion.
  308. The richer vocal style playing off the sharp plucked strings is precisely the sound I associate with Ajai.
  309. ---
  310. Track: From a Windchime
  311. Duration: '02:18'
  312. Referenced Tracks:
  313. - From a Windchime to Its Long-Lost Owner
  314. URLs:
  315. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/from-a-windchime
  316. Lyrics: |-
  317. Where the robins flew late last summer
  318. Eggshell blue, ripped asunder
  319. Call me too, softly call me back to where you lay
  320. Asleep in dew, dreaming of the answer to
  321. Why the truth is never true
  322. Why the winter's colder every day
  323. I hope you're free, how far westward lies the sea
  324. Tell me, do you dream of me
  325. Nameless tune forever left behind
  326. Why do I sing, when my world is shattering
  327. When I've broken everything
  328. Are these tears or am I only blind
  329. Where's that winding war, by the tide beyond the shore
  330. I have tried to try before, but I was so blinded by the sun
  331. You tell me forever now for nevermore
  332. Will I bear what once I bore
  333. Have you thought the glass might hide the gun
  334. I know you're free, have you gone beyond the sea
  335. I still hear you call to me, even though I'll never find you now
  336. But still I sing, for our summer, for our spring
  337. For my world, for everything
  338. Till I fade, till I've forgotten how
  339. I hope you're free, how far westward lies the sea
  340. Tell me, do you dream of me
  341. Nameless tune forever left behind
  342. Why do I sing, when my world is shattering
  343. When I've broken everything
  344. Are these tears or am I only blind
  345. Commentary: |-
  346. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  347. I wrote this song way back in 2011, under the far longer title From a Windchime to its Long-Lost Owner.
  348. It has remained a huge favourite for the decade it has existed, so much that I’ve made five versions of it, one of which you can hear on my 2013 album [[album:compass]].
  349. This is the fifth, and likely final, version: I finally feel like I’ve realised the vision I had all those years ago. The lyrics of this song alone made it worth remaking this many times. At long last, you can hear them!
  350. The lyrics are based on an old short story I wrote at around the same time, about a windchime left behind in a house that has long been abandoned. Even back then, I adored that tone of hopeful melancholy that you see in a lot of my work.
  351. ---
  352. Track: Oceanic Flight
  353. Directory: oceanic-flight-a-memory-finds-its-name
  354. Always Reference By Directory: true
  355. Duration: '04:56'
  356. Referenced Tracks:
  357. - Oceanic Flight
  358. URLs:
  359. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/oceanic-flight
  360. Lyrics: |-
  361. For years and years I yearned for the sea
  362. I felt the world was turning around me
  363. Through cracks and tears I peered at its glory
  364. And dreamed, and cried, free me! Free me! Free me!
  365. For years and years I yearned to be free
  366. I knew the world was changing beyond me
  367. And I was disappearing, if only
  368. Someone would just hear me! Hear me! Hear me!
  369. [Distorted vocal]
  370. For years and years, I drowned in the sea
  371. I felt the waters turning upon me
  372. She thrashed, I steered, we tangled and slowly
  373. Our colours ran, mixing permanently
  374. In tears, in fears, I drowned her and she
  375. Became my world, my life and my story
  376. And I was disappearing, if only
  377. Someone would just, hear me, hear me, hear me
  378. For years and years I yearned for the sea
  379. I felt the world was turning around me
  380. Through cracks and tears I peered at its glory
  381. And dreamed, and cried, free me, free me, free me
  382. For years and years I yearned to be free
  383. I knew the world was changing beyond me
  384. And I was disappearing, if only
  385. Someone would just hear me, hear me, hear me
  386. For years and years I drowned in the sea
  387. Till you reached out and dragged me to safety
  388. Beyond the stars, their light burning softly
  389. When will someone hear me, hear me, hear me
  390. For years and years I yearned to be free
  391. I will not let her hate take it from me
  392. I live, and I refuse to be sorry
  393. And no one can take me, make me, break me
  394. Commentary: |-
  395. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  396. Am I infringing on copyright by saying that this song was inspired by Steven Universe?
  397. To be very vague, it’s a story-song about someone who spent most of her centuries-long life trapped against her will, and then in a damning duty she took upon herself to protect her newfound friends.
  398. There’s a sense of...optimism? and desperation? mingled here that culminates in the cries of “free me” and “hear me”.
  399. This was, hands down, one of the hardest songs I’ve ever produced, taking almost a year of fiddling, and then more ahead of this release. Little wonder: it’s the biggest track on this album too, in terms of instruments and length.
  400. ---
  401. Track: You Are You
  402. Directory: you-are-you-a-memory-finds-its-name
  403. Always Reference By Directory: true
  404. Duration: '04:04'
  405. Referenced Tracks:
  406. - You Are You
  407. URLs:
  408. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/you-are-you-2
  409. Lyrics: |-
  410. You're a blessing, you are you
  411. You are someone's light
  412. You're a wish that someone had each time they cried
  413. You're an angel, you're the sky
  414. You're the joy that you deny
  415. And there's nothing, nothing that can change that now
  416. You're a blessing, you are you
  417. You are someone's light
  418. You're a wish that someone had each time they cried
  419. You're an angel, you're the sky
  420. You're the joy that you deny
  421. And there's nothing, nothing that can change that now
  422. I watch you walk without a light
  423. Hopeless, lost, tangled in the night
  424. Can it be someone rained on your show
  425. Hate can be sharp as a knife I know
  426. But tell me why do you turn away
  427. And tell me who left these scars
  428. You say your sky is dark and dead
  429. But in your eyes I see the stars
  430. You're a blessing, you are you
  431. You are someone's light
  432. You're a wish that someone had each time they cried
  433. You're an angel, you're the sky
  434. You're the joy that you deny
  435. And there's nothing truer, don't you know?
  436. You're not nothing, you are you
  437. Let them tell their lies
  438. This world you are the world in someone's eyes
  439. Don't you say it's not deserved
  440. You're the axis of their love
  441. And there's nothing nothing that can that now
  442. There may be questions that no one can answer
  443. And there may be pain you don't understand
  444. But you'll survive if you trust in the joy
  445. That you haven't known
  446. Don't say you are nothing, I would give the world for you
  447. You may be flawed but you're no mistake
  448. Take a deep breath till there's no sorrow left
  449. And look up above, it's the sky you love
  450. Can't you see your starlight?
  451. My dear, please be my light
  452. Oh, my dear, it's still the night
  453. Don't think you are any less than wonderful
  454. You're a blessing, you are you (My dear)
  455. You are someone's light (Please be my light)
  456. You're a wish that someone had (Oh, my dear)
  457. Each time they cried (It's still the night)
  458. you're an angel, you're the sky (Don't think you)
  459. you're the joy that you deny (Are any less)
  460. and there's nothing nothing that can change that (Than wonderful)
  461. Angel, you're my sky
  462. let them tell their lies
  463. In this world you are the world in someone's eyes
  464. Don't you say it's not deserved
  465. You're the axis of my love
  466. And there's nothing nothing that can change my mind
  467. Commentary: |-
  468. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  469. I remember, when I first wrote this song in 2012, that it was meant to be a song about “things I wish someone would say to me.”
  470. I struggled a great deal with my mental health back then, with some family tragedies happening around that time, as well as a looming final exam that seemed like life or death.
  471. I used to hate this song in particular, because I was deeply dissastisfied with how the vocals came out. Despite the warm compliments I received on the lyrics and composition, the vocals were a sticking point. Soon after posting it, I removed the vocal version (along with many others) from the internet.
  472. In some strange way, my position is reversed now. I feel more like the person speaking the words of the song than the person it is addressed to, and I adjusted the lyrics to match (and also to match my new lyrical style).
  473. ---
  474. Track: The Banner I Unfurl
  475. Directory: the-banner-i-unfurl-a-memory-finds-its-name
  476. Always Reference By Directory: true
  477. Duration: '01:22'
  478. Referenced Tracks:
  479. - track:the-banner-i-unfurl-instrumental
  480. URLs:
  481. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/the-banner-i-unfurl
  482. Lyrics: |-
  483. I'm not that strong, but I'll fight
  484. I belong at her side
  485. When the darkness starts to stir
  486. She's so much more
  487. While I live, I am sure
  488. I would give my very life for her
  489. 'Cause
  490. She's the axis of my world
  491. She's the banner I unfurl
  492. I shall raise it for the eyes of the world to see
  493. You could take all that I own
  494. I don't need it now I've known
  495. A love like the sea
  496. 'Cause
  497. She's the axis of my world
  498. She's the springtime of my soul
  499. Flowers bloom beneath the skies through the centuries
  500. You could take all that I own
  501. I don't need it now I've known
  502. Her love for me
  503. Commentary: |-
  504. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  505. I wrote this song for [an animation](https://youtu.be/bIyjzum7Hjk) I made for an undergrad stop motion class in 2015, but ultimately (as always) swapped it for a fully instrumental version.
  506. The animation is of a noblewoman and a knight who are in love, surprise surprise. The noble is snatched away by a flying beast and her partner gives chase on a horse, before a fun magic battle happens.
  507. Let’s be real, the “plot” of this one-and-a-half-minute animation actually doesn’t make any sense, but it was always meant to be music-led—visuals echoing the feel of the music.
  508. The lyrics themselves are actually some of my favourites that I’ve written—lines such as “she’s the springtime of my soul” are hopefully as resonant for others as they feel to me personally.
  509. I will be honest: it began as a Steven Universe fan song, but then grew into its own thing as I worked on it.
  510. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (lyric video illustration)
  511. <img src="media/misc/the-banner-i-unfurl-lyric-video.jpg" width="380" length="214">
  512. ---
  513. Track: The Queen In Between
  514. Duration: '04:00'
  515. URLs:
  516. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/the-queen-in-between
  517. Commentary: |-
  518. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  519. The only track on this album with no lyrics is this one: the background track of my game, In Between.
  520. It takes place in an ancient, ruined desert town in the realm between Heaven and Hell—despite its great age, it is still populated, by strange creatures that seem neither alive nor dead, and a Queen who has been siphoning the souls of her subjects to prolong her own life.
  521. In the game, I wanted to explore the concept of shifting between various combinations of instruments as you move from one location to another, with the number of instruments building gradually as you approach the end of the game.
  522. I tried to emulate that sense of building in this version of the track, but you can [play the game](https://circlejourney.net/in-between/) to get the full experience.
  523. ---
  524. Track: Memorialisation
  525. Directory: memorialisation-a-memory-finds-its-name
  526. Always Reference By Directory: true
  527. Duration: '03:41'
  528. Referenced Tracks:
  529. - Memorialisation
  530. URLs:
  531. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/memorialisation
  532. Lyrics: |-
  533. I've forgotten her face
  534. I don't remember her voice at all
  535. What is she to me, anyway
  536. Why should I care that I don't recall
  537. So all my pride was misplaced
  538. How could I have been so blind
  539. What use is a memorial in your mind
  540. Walls break, windows crack
  541. Trees die, and don't grow back
  542. If you wait, the leaves will all turn black
  543. And she also forgot me
  544. At last the whole truth has come to light
  545. It was all just a gambit
  546. A surrender and not a fight
  547. For all these years, she bore my weight
  548. For love, for hate, she tolerated me
  549. "Just wait for me," she'd say to me, "Just wait"
  550. Until she left that night
  551. That endless night
  552. Walls break, windows crack
  553. Trees die and don't grow back
  554. If you wait, the leaves will all turn black
  555. Don't you know
  556. Overgrown houses fall
  557. All they've known, no trace at all
  558. A bird sends up its mourning call alone
  559. I've always known how to make things
  560. But not how to break them
  561. I don't know how to take it
  562. When they can't be repaired
  563. I've always known she's gone,
  564. She's gone, she's gone, she's gone
  565. She never cared
  566. Who am I, who was I, to you, my mother
  567. Answer me
  568. Walls break, windows crack
  569. Trees die and don't grow back
  570. Suddenly, everything goes black
  571. Songs end, seeds decay
  572. You can't pretend the grief away
  573. Oh, if I could send a reply with the things I'd like to say
  574. I'd say I'm sorry that I wasted my childhood away
  575. But you're not here, and you can't watch me
  576. Destroy this memorial today
  577. Commentary: |-
  578. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  579. Back in 2016 or so, I planned on writing a whole stage musical based on my novel, [Eagles and Swans](https://circlejourney.net/writing/eaglesandswans/) (which will forever be unreleased, at the rate I’m going). This was the only song that actually materialised in full.
  580. I’m fond of writing songs about fictional characters (moreso than about my own life), especially characters that I created myself. This one’s about Ruthenia, the main character of Eagles and Swans, at a time when she’s questioning everything about her past.
  581. It’s definitely the hardest one to sing on this album, and honestly I feel it was made for the penultimate position. I’m happy to finally have the chance to channel my inner musical theatre lover, and would love to write more for this musical whenever I’ve got the time.
  582. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (track cover)
  583. <img src="media/misc/memorialisation-track-cover.jpg" width="250">
  584. ---
  585. Track: Year In, Year Out
  586. Duration: '03:30'
  587. URLs:
  588. - https://circlejourney.bandcamp.com/track/year-in-year-out
  589. Lyrics: |-
  590. Year in, year out
  591. Learn to live without, oh
  592. What stays, what's true
  593. Seasons pull me from you
  594. 'Cause
  595. I'm moving, you knew it
  596. Years fearing this minute
  597. A planet, a comet
  598. I break from your orbit
  599. I take my heart and fold it
  600. Move out to the cold
  601. Out of your city
  602. Out of your world
  603. By the time I see you
  604. Will I still know your face
  605. By the time we meet
  606. Amid the stardust and space
  607. I would rather be
  608. About any other place
  609. That is closer
  610. One of these years
  611. One of these days
  612. Year in, year out
  613. What do we even talk about, oh
  614. The heat, the moon
  615. The sound of birds in the afternoon
  616. 'Cause
  617. Three autumns, three winters
  618. Of stories in letters
  619. Three springs and three summers
  620. Lose track of the numbers
  621. Where's the line
  622. When do I
  623. Pass the point
  624. When should I say goodbye?
  625. 'Cause
  626. By the time I see you
  627. Will I still know your face
  628. By the time we meet
  629. Amid the stardust and space
  630. I would rather be
  631. About any other place
  632. That is closer
  633. One of these days
  634. 'Cause
  635. By the time I see you
  636. Will I still know your face (still know your face)
  637. By the time we meet
  638. Amid the stardust and space (stardust and space)
  639. I would rather be
  640. About any other place (any other place)
  641. That is closer
  642. One of these years
  643. One of these days
  644. Year in, year out
  645. Learn to live without, oh
  646. What stays, what's true
  647. Seasons pull me from you
  648. Commentary: |-
  649. <i>Circlejourney:</i> (booklet commentary)
  650. I’ll be honest, I get a little choked up every time I sing this song. It draws deeply on an emotion I’ve grown very familiar with over the past couple of years: of missing someone I used to be around all the time, and of drifting away.
  651. I haven’t been home since February 2020—it’s been more than a year. I can’t help wondering how my home, family and friends have changed since I last saw them. If they’ll even feel like the same people when we next meet.
  652. The shadow of the memory of being close to people I care about—a complex, multivalent thing—continues to loom over most of my waking hours. It is a bittersweet feeling: the relief of being untethered, stirred in with the quiet dread of time passing, of distance growing, when you’re looking away
  653. ---
  654. Section: Bonus tracks
  655. ---
  656. Track: Summer Heat (Instrumental)
  657. Duration: '3:41'
  658. Referenced Tracks:
  659. - Summer Heat
  660. ---
  661. Track: Life's a Mind Game (Instrumental)
  662. Duration: '4:37'
  663. Referenced Tracks:
  664. - Life's a Mind Game
  665. ---
  666. Track: When All Is Gone (Instrumental)
  667. Duration: '4:16'
  668. Referenced Tracks:
  669. - When All Is Gone
  670. ---
  671. Track: From a Windchime (Instrumental)
  672. Duration: '2:19'
  673. Referenced Tracks:
  674. - From a Windchime
  675. ---
  676. Track: Oceanic Flight (Instrumental)
  677. Directory: oceanic-flight-instrumental-a-memory-finds-its-name
  678. Duration: '4:58'
  679. Referenced Tracks:
  680. - track:oceanic-flight-a-memory-finds-its-name
  681. ---
  682. Track: You Are You (Instrumental)
  683. Duration: '4:05'
  684. Referenced Tracks:
  685. - track:you-are-you-a-memory-finds-its-name
  686. ---
  687. Track: The Banner I Unfurl (Instrumental)
  688. Directory: the-banner-i-unfurl-instrumental-a-memory-finds-its-name
  689. Duration: '1:24'
  690. Referenced Tracks:
  691. - track:the-banner-i-unfurl-a-memory-finds-its-name
  692. ---
  693. Track: Memorialisation (Instrumental)
  694. Duration: '3:36'
  695. Referenced Tracks:
  696. - track:memorialisation-a-memory-finds-its-name
  697. ---
  698. Track: Year In, Year Out (Instrumental)
  699. Duration: '3:30'
  700. Referenced Tracks:
  701. - Year In, Year Out