The Path: Stories with Strangers - Voice

Voice is one of my gems. Even though each of my compositions holds a special, unique place in my heart, it's really Voice that I dearly treasure, for its lyrics as well as structure and harmonic sophistication.

Fun fact: Whoever You May Be and Voice both have every single note appear in the bass at least once!

The lyrics to "Voice" were a bit sensual, surprisingly, for my inexperienced teenaged self. It was written from such a tender place, dedicated to a boy who's voice I found so breathlessly compelling during my senior year of high school. The song also has such an interesting and complex structure, which I felt incredibly clever for writing at the time—and still do now!!

The lyrics were all about the sense of sound. I don't even once mention anyone's appearance, but I focus entirely on sound, even briefly singing about how I don't need the other four senses:

" Don't need your kiss," (taste)

"Or the scent of your hair" (smell)

"I could be blind," (sight)

"Cold and numb head to toe" (touch).

The structure is quite fun!

Intro (~ Bridge)

* Verse 1

* Verse 2

* Bridge 1

Chorus 1

* Verse 3

* Bridge 2

* Bridge 3

Chorus 2

Outro

I love the verse-verse-bridge, then verse-bridge-bridge structure. I love all of the chords and voices and just... I love this one!

I wrote the lyrics while listening to a different song, an actually somewhat uncommon thing for me to do. The song was called 声をきかせて (Koe wo Kikasete — Let Me Hear Your Voice), by a band I loved in high school and college, Big Bang. The band is originally Korean, but they, like many other K-Pop groups, have quite a few Japanese releases as well.

The lyrics really showcase just how shy I was—I barely spoke to the compelling-voice kid, and there's so much yearning in the song. That kind of lyric resonated with the kind of person that I was—that person is actually a stranger of sorts to me now, both the nice-voice boy and the person I was when I wrote it.

Yearning for things just out of reach is no novel concept in song-writing, and the next piece that I wrote also fits into that category...

—

I don't even need to turn

From the soft murmur of the words,

I can already tell that it's you

If only it were me you were talking to

And when you aren't around

I miss that quiet and smooth tone

And the quick, airy way your lips form the words

Oh I often dream, that for me, you'd...

Let me hear your voice

Look at me, say something

Tell me anything

And I'll be glad to hear it

Don't need your kiss

Or the scent of your hair

Just as long as I can hear your voice

I'll be strolling down the hallway

My footsteps softly echo

Down the otherwise silent cooridor

And from somewhere I hear

A faint melody emerge

Closing my eyes, I follow the sound

And I slowly open the door

Content in the back of the crowd

Wishing you, only you

Would for me, only me

Let me hear your voice

Even just a whisper

Tell me anything

And I'll be glad to listen

I could be blind

Cold and numb, head to toe

Just as long as I can hear your voice

I'll sleep sound.