Gray One

VERSE 1:

Are you the gray man,

across the rocking train?

Eyes darker than the clouds

holding in the rain?

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PRE-CHORUS 1:

What's your story, stranger -

Did color leave you too?

When did hope become a danger,

and rob the world of you?

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CHORUS:

Well if that's you today,

I'll remain with you.

'Cause color left me too;

Said it couldn't stay...

*

VERSE 2:

Are you the lost girl,

in the corner of an eye?

Shoulders bent beneath

the weight of the sky?

*

PRE-CHORUS 2:

What's your story, wanderer -

How'd you end up here?

Did 'love' turn out to be a squanderer,

and leave you only fear?

*

CHORUS:

Well if that's you today,

I'll remain with you.

'Cause color left me too;

Seemed it couldn't stay...

*

POST-CHORUS:

So shall we share the gray -

Till a kinder day?

*

OUTRO:

What's your story..?

Are you the gray one..?

Are you the gray one..?

Are you..?

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank you so much for reading this strange poem! The piece has a two-fold inspiration - one from general scenes and individual characters I have encountered on public transit in the city where I live. I have been here for about a year now, but still find myself struck so often by the harsh and bitter realities of homelessness, alcoholism, and other deep-rooted issues whose affects are on daily display here. Reflections on these sparked the writing of the first section of the song, pertaining to 'the gray man, across the rocking train.' The second main source of inspiration for this piece was some newfound knowledge of a friend's silent struggles with trauma, abuse, and mental health. She is the inspiration for the 'lost girl in the corner of an eye/shoulders bent beneath the weight of the sky.' (NOTE: in the recording of the song embedded in this article, I accidentally said 'lost one' instead of 'lost girl.' Recordings of singing live are harder to get perfect than you would think, when you're not a professional...)

I started this piece as a poem, but quickly felt some musicality blooming in the lilt of the words; as I am pushing myself to explore and share musical composition more this year, I came up with the melody that I am including below. Feel free to give it a listen, if you're interested! :) I originally shared the song on YouTube, but feel compelled to share it with this community too - especially seeing as it began as a poem, which I would have shared here to begin with. As alluded to in my last post, I will also soon be creating a submission for Vocal's "New Year, New Projects" challenge which will pertain to my upcoming/ongoing musical endeavors - so keep an ear out for that, if you'd like!

Anyhow, that's enough rambling for now! Thanks for stopping by, friends; I hope today is kind to you. :)

EDIT on April 24, 2025: I am resubmitting this song to the "Beat" Community on Vocal, so that I can submit it to the Harmonic Verses Challenge. Of all of the musical pieces that I have shared on Vocal, this one felt like it had the clearest sense of narrative - and thus felt appropriate to add into the mix for this particular challenge. Cheers, friends.