Leaves

Alex: One of my personal favs on the album. That means no one else will like it! I’m channeling young Alex who was in bands that played in mostly empty bars. There would be a few people having a conversion, maybe a guy drinking alone, and a bartender cleaning glasses. We’d play, nobody really paid attention. And it was certainly a bit sad, but even with a few people there, you really didn’t want anyone to leave! There’s a song I worked on called “Silently Stupid” – didn’t make the album, but there’s a line in it: “is anything so useless as a song no one hears”.

But the other side of the song is just relating that experience to life in general. As you get older, you realize that the world is your bar, it’s getting cold, winter is coming, and the people in “your bar” diminish over time…and you really don’t want the last few people left to leave.

Last ones in the bar tonight

The barkeep knows me well

Guess I’m just a regular now

I’ve gotta see this through

Not sure I have the strength

Time to get out on the stage

Plug in, turn on, force a smile

Started so long ago

Can’t remember the plan

Now I gotta keep calm

Don’t Leave

This goes way beyond what we perceive

It’ll break us down

Turn up your collar

As the Leaves whip around you

Only I can make a change

Stop the spiral, going down the drain

Just want to hide inside

Scroll away the day

I gotta find the strength

Don’t Leave

This goes way beyond what we perceive

It’ll break us down

Turn up your collar against the wind

As the Leaves whip around you

Here comes the snow