Track Dissection aims to capture the essence of an artist’s song: the effort behind it, the context surrounding it, and the emotions etched within it. In each piece, the artist pulls back the curtain of their work, revealing its intimacies.
Initial Idea
I honestly can’t remember what the first idea was for this song, but I think I wrote the lyrics as a poem, then wrote guitar and added vocals. I was listening to a lot of Mineral/The Gloria Record at the time and my vocals were heavily influenced by Chris Simpson’s style, long and drawn out emo vocals. I wrote & structured the song, recorded a demo on my computer, then brought it to the band to start working on all together. The full-band parts are pretty similar to the demo, but everyone added their own touches that I feel like make the song really special.
Process of Writing
The lyrics started as a lyric poem I wrote in my journal last October. I had been really feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders with everything that had been going on in the news, in politics, etc. It’s very open ended, but to me this song expresses how painful it can feel to be open-hearted and loving in a world that feels inhospitable. How it’s not an easy choice and sometimes it feels impossible, but it’s so important to hold on to love and believe that it will make a difference in this world. The image of the sacred heart has many meanings to me, it’s originally a Catholic symbol (a religion I was raised with but have not practiced in over a decade) that represents a pure and boundless love. I once saw a deflated red mylar heart-shaped balloon drifting in the breeze out in the middle of nowhere and that is another sacred heart to me. It’s the sacred power of my own heart and the love that lays the foundation for my life. It can be whatever you want it to be really…
Demos
Early acoustic demo of “Sacred Heart.” This is the first recording I have of it.
Lyric Annotation
Sacred Heart
In the park
I follow you down
I initially had this vision of a park called Sacred Heart Park with rolling lush green hills and wide open sky. I called upon this image quite a bit as I was writing.
Conincidence
Light bleeds in
Pools around your head
Honestly
It hurts sometimes
This line is so emo but I was trying to be honest.
Staring in blinding light
Light as a symbol of purity and rebirth but this light also is blinding and painful.
Appease myself
Hide underneath
This shade of
An oak tree
The oak tree is a symbol of strength and justice.
Seven was the number
Of all my grief and all my sorrow
The “seven” is a subtle nod to the line in “Monkey Gone to Heaven” by Pixies when Black Francis screams, “AND GOD IS SEVEN!”
Reflecting light in shrouded hills
I thought I could hold it there forever
You say you want to show love
And I’ll believe it when I see it
It takes love to know love
It takes love to know love
I actually wrote the “It takes love to know love” line about my guinea pig, Anthony. I was feeding him and thinking about how much I love him and I want to show it to him but all I can do is feed him because he literally has no idea what love is. He’s a prey animal so even though he’s had a comfortable, safe life, he’s still really afraid of me. I just want to show him how much I love him! I felt like the sentiment extrapolated nicely to human relationships too.
My empathy is bringing me down
My empathy is bringing me down
Hold on to the ones you love
Hold on to the sacred heart
Hold on to the ones you love
Hold on to the sacred heart
At the end of the song, the “my empathy is bringing me down” and “hold on to the ones you love/hold on to the sacred heart” lines overlap and are in direct conversation with each other. It’s an expression of pain and an affirmation that I choose love even if it hurts.
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