I just have a tiny little treasure to share today…
When I released my first album Embark in 2012, I started a practice that would become something of a ritual for me whenever I complete a new album.
I call it a lyric collage, but it’s really more like a poem made of lyric fragments from all of the songs in the collection. It’s so magical – it shows me a brand new story spun wholly from each smaller story.
The Hallowed Wide lyric collage feels particularly enchanting to me (I was unapologetically giddy as I was uncovering it), but before I share the thing, I want to tell you more about the process, so you can really understand how serendipitous the final result is…
So, I start with the lyrics of all 12 songs in order on one page.
First, I go through and just start crossing out all but a few phrases from each song—I look for strings of words that feel sort of flexible, like their meanings could lean this way or that depending on what precedes or follows.
Then, once I have maybe 5-6 phrases remaining from each song, I start assembling them (again, still in order) one after another. I take a phrase from track 1, then a phrase from track 2, etc. I try to connect the pieces together in a way that feels like a new sentence, or a new idea. And I separate them with a little bullet.
When I get to the end of the song list, I go back to track 1 and add another phrase. And I just keep repeating this process until the poem feels finished.
This particular lyric collage goes through the process 5 times…
AND in order for you to experience the full magic, I’ve recited the poem for you with the phrasing and inflection I imagine. ?
I hope you love it.
Love,
Emily