"Facing South"
(words and music by Marjorie Richards)
Although I never kissed you, every night I missed you
I listened for your car in the driveway
I waited for your phone call when I was not checking email
I only read your letters every other day
Loss is where I am living and right now where I am living there’s a storm
And the home that’s coming down is more than nails and boards
2X4 the walls protected me, I framed myself
One by one I took them down, all winter long, facing south
So I am sitting in this café drinking my coffee
Pancakes in my belly like concrete
If I mistook this desolation, for a foundation
I could build myself a house along this street
But leaving’s what I’m learning, right now I’m leaving here alone
The home that I am looking for will not be brick or stone
2X4 the walls comforted me, I framed myself
One by one I took them down, all winter long, facing south
Facing south, in the winter, even the sun breaks, splintering through
Facing south, with one wall remaining, the sky lightly raining
Washing me clean of remorse, I am broken but not facing north
Leaving the shelter of everything I knew for the
Wide open spaces of what might be true
I don’t know if you’ll find me or even if you’ll try
I know what’s behind me though I still don’t know why
Love is how I’m moving, what I refuse to live without
Home is where I’ll be and I’ll be facing south, facing south.
About the Song:
When I wrote this song, everything that felt like home in my life was coming down; some of it I was choosing to dismantle and some just came down around me. I wanted to use the upheaval as an opportunity to "remodel," to get some southern exposure in my own life. I started writing the song as a way to wake up. I was a carpenter for eight years, so the construction images came easily. And, honestly, I was pining away about someone who lived north of me, as though they were the answer to all my problems. So in some ways, the song is also about not-facing north, not looking for someone else to give my life meaning.
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More about Marjorie:
Songspace Interview
www.marjorierichards.com
www.reinholdrichards.com
buy Marjorie's CDs online
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