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Artist: Fenvian Child (Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon, Deezer, Tidal..
Lyrics: The Long Way 'Round
(Engine thrum intro, a deep, resonant sub-bass pulse at 85 BPM)
(Verse 1)
Salt on the glass and the new route is planned
Doubled the fuel, there's a tremor in my hand
Plotting a course 'round the horn of my doubt
Cheaper than letting your name out my mouth
This engine just hums a monotonous tune
Under a cold, indifferent moon
Every degree I turn from the east…
I'm managing a ceasefire, at least
(Chorus)
Yeah, I took the long way ‘round
Leaking diesel on untrusted ground
Heard there’s conflict in the straight and narrow lane
So I'm out here navigating my own expensive pain
I pay the freight just to steer clear of your coast
While carrying the thing I miss the most
Took the long way ‘round
Cost a fortune just to miss your town
(Verse 2)
Remember that shortcut? So simple and fast
A straight shot to you, a future built to last
But the passage is mined now, the signals are red
Better to circle the whole world instead
This cargo’s gettin' heavy, check the manifest
One crate of memories, puttin' me to the test
I pilot this rust bucket through waves of regret
A debt to my future that I haven't paid yet
(Chorus)
‘Cause I took the long way ‘round
Leaking diesel on untrusted ground
Heard there’s conflict in the straight and narrow lane
So I'm out here navigating my own expensive pain
I pay the freight just to steer clear of your coast
While carrying the thing I miss the most
Took the long way ‘round
Cost a fortune just to miss your town
(Bridge)
Last night I unfolded the original chart
Traced the forbidden passage right over my heart
For a second, the compass hand wanted to stray
Held the screen at bay, and just turned away
Felt the pull in my gut, a magnetic lie
To run your blockade... or just sail on by?
(Outro)
Just sail on by...
The long way 'round
(Engine thrum deepens, vocals become more spoken, intimate)
Yeah, the long way 'round
Cost a fortune... cost a fortune...
(Bass pulse slowly fades to silence)
About The Song
This song, "The Long Way 'Round," is a direct metaphorical response to the news of global shipping lines diverting from the Suez Canal due to regional conflicts. Instead of the literal, I translated it to the personal. The Suez Canal becomes a metaphor for the direct, yet emotionally perilous, path to a difficult conversation or a past relationship. The protagonist, like a ship's captain, consciously chooses the 'long way 'round'—an expensive, exhausting, and isolating journey of avoidance—to maintain self-preservation. It’s about the high logistics costs of managing emotional baggage and navigating around the people and places that represent an emotional 'conflict zone.' Musically, it draws from the intimate, pulsing, and confessional style of Billie Eilish's "LUNCH," using a persistent sub-bass to create the 'engine room' heartbeat of this lonely voyage. The core theme is not simply sadness, but the active, strategic, and costly process of self-protection.
Production Notes
Vocals: Close-mic'd performance using a Neumann U47 or similar warm condenser. Record the verses with an intimate, almost-spoken delivery, full of nuanced breaths. The chorus should open up with more power but retain a sense of weariness. Subtle use of a slap-back delay to create space without washing it out. Vocal chain: UA 1176 for light compression on the way in, followed by a Pultec EQP-1A for air and body. No aggressive tuning.
Instrumentation: The driving force is a deep, sine-wave-based sub-bass (808-style but cleaner), pulsing on the quarter notes at 85 BPM. This should be felt more than heard. A detuned, sparse electric guitar with heavy tremolo can provide texture, playing single notes that hang in the air. The drums should be minimal—a lo-fi, muted kick drum, a cross-stick snare, and a soft, rattling hi-hat, perhaps from a Roland CR-78 sample.
Arrangement: Keep it sparse. The song lives in the space between the notes. Let the sub-bass and vocals carry the track. In the bridge, strip everything back to just the vocal and a very faint, distant guitar shimmer. For the outro, automate a low-pass filter on the entire mix, slowly closing it down as the sub-bass fades, simulating the ship moving further away into the distance.
Performance Direction: The artist should feel like they are alone in a room (or a ship's cabin) at 3 AM, confessing to themselves. The performance is less about hitting perfect notes and more about conveying the immense weight and fatigue of their decision. It's a song of exhausted defiance.
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