Some coworkers of mine were having a board game party night, and I don't remember the name of this particular game. Anyway, a question was asked about me. It was: "If Tyson were a disaster of some kind, what would he be?" The options were a volcano erupting, a tornado, an earthquake, or the Titanic sinking. Anyone that really knows me would guess either the volcano or the Titanic. I myself would pick the Titanic (and so did most everyone else). It was funny at the time, but as I drove home after the party I was thinking about it in a few different ways. Me as a big ship, plodding along, seemingly reliable and steady, counted on to follow through with endeavors and reach personal goals/destinations. But then realizing the possibility of hitting a snag that could derail me in any number of ways and fall apart. I let it brew for a week or so. I was going through some pictures of me as a kid, and found a few that I barely remembered being taken. One was me in the backyard of my Grandma's house in Bismarck, ND, about age 8, holding a big fish I had caught by myself. I looked really happy and proud and it brought back a lot of fond memories of being with my grandparents and happy times. The other picture was of me on Easter Sunday, probably around age 5 or 6. I had just finished an Easter egg hunt and opened one of the plastic eggs I had found. Inside was a matchbox car. I was truly surprised by this, and happy to have it. The picture was captured at just the right moment to show the surprise, joy, and excitement on my face. I looked at it for a long time, trying to remember what it was like to live life in a state of worry-free happiness; without anxiety about things and able to be surprised by people in a good way. I thought about how nice it would be to recapture some of that innocence and pure joy and remember what it was like to just play outside all day. I looked at the person I had become since then and wanted to be more like who I used to be when I was a kid. I wondered what it would take to get some of that back. It struck me that to dig back into my soul and personality that far and truly bring back that kid in me would be like raising the Titanic from the bottom of the ocean floor. Once I realized that, and thought again about the board game with my coworkers, this song wrote itself.
I really love how this song turned out and what it is all about. The chord changes really stir up something in me, and it's hard and heavy. When we went into the studio to record what would become "Keep it Coming Like a Miracle," this song was the newest one, and Justin didn't even have a drum part for it yet but we knew we wanted to do it. Justin put on his creative hat, came up with this drum part that day, recorded it, and I love it. Also, Aaron has a blistering cello solo that I really pushed him to bring out in the studio. He recorded a couple that were really good, but I knew he had something else in him. I told him to "bring the fire!" on the last take. He did, and that is what you hear on the recording.
lyrics
USED TO BE BRAVE
NOW I THINK ABOUT THE GRAVE
AND I WOULD WALK TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
JUST TO BE MYSELF
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
THERE'S A SHIP JUST LIKE ME
AND IT WOULD SAIL ALL THE SEVEN SEAS
JUST TO BE ITSELF
WHEN I WAS A KID I WAS THE KING
NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING
A SHAKY HEART AND A NERVOUS BRAIN
TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME
LABELED UNSINKABLE
IT WAS UNTHINKABLE
BUT THE TIP ISN'T ALL THAT YOU SEE
THE DANGER IS UNDERNEATH
I JUST WANNA BRING MYSELF BACK
TITANIC, ARISE!
I JUST WANNA BRING MYSELF BACK
TITANIC, ARISE!
credits
from Keep It Coming Like A Miracle,
released August 9, 2013
Tyson Allison--guitar, vocals
Justin Deleon--drums, percussion
Aaron Kerr--cello
Steve Nord--piano
Emperor Penguin Records began in 2003 in St. Paul, MN and later moved to Milwaukee, WI in 2015. The label is run by
musician/producer Tyson Allison. EPR enlists and caters to singer/songwriters, introverts, experimental weirdos, bookish people, and crafters that paint pictures with words and toy with your emotions on a well-placed chord. Thank you for your interest!...more
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