Day 26: This Abandoned Shack

Lyrics:
Ice on your face
Cold fireplace
Nowhere to go
So far from home 

Safe for the night
Wait for the light
Strike your driest match
Forget the avalanche

We got lost on our way back
The drift had covered all our tracks
But we found this abandoned shack
Hid within the tamaracks

When the morning comes
You'll head out at the dawn
To find a signal point
And hope that you'll be joined

Hours turn into days
Who knows if you'll be saved
At least you have a stove
A way to warm your toes

We got lost on our way back
The drift had covered all our tracks
But we found this abandoned shack
Hid within the tamaracks

They'll see your plume of smoke
And soon they will approach
And you'll be safe and sound
Taken back to town

In the years to come we will reflect
How we were saved from our neglect
When we found this abandoned shack
Hid within the tamaracks

Details: First off, I apologize about the balance in the recording-- my voice is too soft and/or the guitar is too loud. But it was late when it finally got recorded, so I decided to leave it as is. The balance accentuates the droney quality of the guitar arrangement, and, unfortunately, makes the song extra monotonous.

I was out for a walk today and stopped by my friend Jay's place. He had just returned from a hut trip, and we got to talking. Anyway, I decided to turn it into a song about back country skiers losing their way because of an avalanche. I don't know much about skiing, but I hoped I could still catch the feeling of being lost and out of reach.

Last year I had written several songs around a drone, and I thought they were all pretty successful, so I wanted to try it again this year. I think the drone arrangement works okay at first, but it wears out its welcome quickly. That'll be the first focus during revision. I also wouldn't mind making the song shorter. I think I might get rid of the "When the morning comes..." part of the second verse.

The lyrics are kind of weird. The verses are done in 2nd person present tense (future tense?), and the chorus is 1st person past tense. If I keep it that way, I'd probably want two voices singing the different parts. When I tried to make it consistent all the way through, it didn't sound right.

Anyway, the song took 4 hours to write and an hour to record.