Chris' Songs - Sailin' Away

This is a song about closure. Closure is something that a friend of mine in college used to always harp on and emphasize (Bec- if you read this, thanks for harping), and I never really thought it was important until a relationship I was in didn't have it. This song is about that relationship, and the eventual need I had for closure.

Sailin' Away

I'm packin' up my memories of you

But they don't seem real anymore

And I don't know why, but they seem more like dreams

I'm backin' up the hurt inside

By sayin' it's you I should blame

And I don't know why, but it doesn't ease the pain

'Cause every time I hear a love song

The melody lingers in my head

And then I find my thoughts wandering back to you

So now I'm sailin' away on the water

I'm sailin' away from your shore

I'm sailin' away, but this time I need you more

Than I did before

I'm sailin' away from our story

I'm sailin' away to explore

I'm sailin' away 'cause I need to close the door

It's crackin' up to be much worse

Than I ever thought it could be

'Cause I've felt so trapped since the day you set me free

I'm stackin' up the months that pass

Since the day that you said goodbye

And though I try to forget, my love for you won't die

'Cause every time I hear a love song

The melody lingers in my head

And then I find my thoughts wandering back to you

So I've gotta start by sailin' away on the water

I'm sailin' away from your shore

I"m sailin' away, but this time I need you more

Than I did before

I'm sailin' away from our story

I'm sailin' away to explore

I'm sailin' away for whatever's in store for me

I'm sailin' away 'cause I need to close the door.

I recently heard an interview with Sarah McLaughlin. She said that she was very proud of her newest album, because she was able to be closer to the truth and to real life in her songwriting than she could with previous albums, where she hid behind characters more. I'm proud of this song for much the same reason. It's hard to write completely truthfully, because it exposes you more to others, and also because it is tempting to make things more interesting by exagerrating (see Don't You See). But it's very cathartic to pour your soul into a song, and it certainly helps with the healing process, as well as with closure.

-Chris Tess

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chris@rarb.org