We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

A Brief Reflection Upon My Life to Date

from Nothin to Write Home About by Sam Steffen

/

lyrics

I am tired of trying to explain the reasons
For feelings I am powerless to understand
Sometimes I wish I could control the seasons
Or control my heartbeat
Or direct its yearning
That only something was not out of my hands
And I have been accused this way before by others
Like you I only wanted someone I could save
But if I am nothing but a coward now
And you may not believe this
And you do not have to
But it’s only because once I was much too brave
For I have lived my life like a burning building
Like a rolling tide upon an ancient sea
And before I die, I only hope, God willing,
That I may learn what it is that I was meant to be

I have had my share of angry tantrums
The blazing furnace I have starved to cold
I gave myself where I wasn’t wanted
Revealed in earnest
What it was I needed
Took big chances
Hoped to get wise early but just got old
And I have steeled my heart for grave misfortune
In the quest for love and other ghosts
But such a preset hasn’t helped me any
I’ve been eluded
At almost every corner
Slowed and hindered
I’ve been stopped at boundaries
And sent away from almost every coast
And I have lived my life like a wasted hour
On the station platform of a boarding train
And before I die I only hope god willing
I may say that I did not live my life in vain

So at last I have come to the brink of something
Some valley or some sun must lie beyond these hills
I know I told you that someday I’d settle
Maybe down with someone
Maybe up with creditors
For maybe less than happiness
Or for more than sorrow
But I’m beginning to wonder if I ever will
I’ve prepared for this for many years now
To be ready for whatever’s coming with the storm
The hours late
Everyone is sleeping
The bells are silent
The stars are dying
The highway’s empty
The wind is rising
The dust is stirring
The chains are rattling
The babes are kicking waiting to be born
And I have lived my life like a polished arrow
In the crowded quiver on a marksman’s back
And before I die I only hope, God willing
That I may see that light before it all fades to black

credits

from Nothin to Write Home About, released June 13, 2020

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Sam Steffen image

Sam Steffen Boise, Idaho

Sam Steffen is a Pennsylvania-bred, Boise-based singer-songwriter whose songs are the torch-wood for a new generation of folk music that has learned from the best stuff in the tradition and aims in spite of everything to keep the human spirit alive and kicking. A versatile musician and skilled finger-picker, Sam is at heart a story-teller, and a prolific one. ... more

contact / help

Contact Sam Steffen

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Sam Steffen, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring interviews with LA music scene pillar Kamasi Washington, and new London-based duo Mrcy.

listen now