It must’ve been the hard rain
№75 — Overdrawn (demo)
organizing an accident is a weekly newsletter where I leak home demos of unreleased songs, first draft lyrics, thoughts on the creative process, & dispatches from music life in Paris.
Listen to “Overdrawn” (demo):
This song was written on March 21, 2019
This is demo leak #75
Greetings from France,
At some point in every artist’s life, work gets made that later on mysteriously eludes our memory—both in its conception and intent. Whether it was inspired by intoxication or divine intervention or neither, the process and the elements within the work truly seem to exist separate from us, as if created by another person.
Today’s demo is one such song that I cannot remember making, but thanks to recording and cataloging my songwriting over the years, I now have it to reflect back on. One thing that stands out to me about this track written in 2019 is the use of spoken word and effects to manipulate my voice. This tells me that I was either sick, hung over, or simply not in the mood to sing that day—factors that have often sent me down interesting paths when writing.
Listening back, I’m struck by the rare distance and objectivity that I’m allowed with time and find myself wishing that I could experience everything I make in this light. Of all the positive potential ways that mankind could use a time machine, I think gaining perspective on artistic projects might top my list of selfish experimentation.
I suppose we don’t always have the luxury of stepping away from our work for years before finishing it, but then again, maybe we shouldn’t. ◍
Next week, I will be publishing an interview with the brilliant composer
. You should get familiar with his music here and subscribe to his newsletter. It’s great stuff.“Overdrawn” lyrics
Am I awake in this dark stillness of morning?
There’s a soft humming from my lamp
It’s spring now
But the fruit on the trees is rotten
It must’ve been the hard rain
I waved goodbye as I slid to the bottom
Now that we both ran out of cash
Tomorrow I’ll let you slice me wide open
I hope the feeling lasts
Daylight slowly turns you on
It’s always like this
When the sun is coming up
You say our moment’s overdrawn
But maybe we’ll all get off
Easily for once
We’re only bones and blood and lungs
For the taking
And I can feel you steal my breath
You feel me climb all over you
Uncovering what lovers do
Daylight slowly turns you on
It’s always like this
When the sun is coming up
You say our moment’s overdrawn
But maybe we’ll all get off
Easily for once
These lyrics were written in March 2019.
From the vault
What I’m listening to this week
What I’ve been reading
David Grossman - A Horse Walks into a Bar
Shawn Coyne - The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know
Check out my previous demos and writing via the Substack archive + discover my official music releases on Spotify, Apple, or your platform of choice. Find me on all socials at @thisryanegan.
Read the previous post.
Love this one. The spoken word is so good. And thank you for the mention and kind words 🙏