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We Should Move To Higher Ground
(Verse 1)
Tuesday started easy with a coffee and the rain
The TV drew a forecast on the window pane
You stacked the smiling sandbags, I just watched the tide
Never thought the basement door would be the first to slide
The river’s got its own ideas, a slow and patient creep
I'm sweeping up the silence that the floorboards couldn't keep
(Pre-Chorus)
We work in tandem, you and I, a rhythm for the ache
You pull the ruined carpet, and I measure the mistake
Drew a line in Sharpie where the muddy water peaked
Another promise that we made the current couldn't keep
(Chorus)
This foundation is a memory, the driveway is a tomb
We're cataloging damage in the living room
The hum of the generator is our new favorite sound
Oh, maybe we should move to higher ground
Yeah, you and I should move to higher ground
(Verse 2)
These photographs are peeling in the saturated light
The faces start to blur from color into white
You're scrubbing at a stain that’s soaked too deep into the grain
I'm arguing with insurance men who try to spell my name
The river's got its own agenda, a language in the silt
Deposited across the home we so meticulously built
(Pre-Chorus)
We work in sequence, you and I, a deadline for the dread
You sort the salvage pile while I am clearing out my head
I found your letters in a box, the ink became a pool
A curriculum of loss they never teach you at a school
(Chorus)
This foundation is a memory, the driveway is a tomb
We're cataloging damage in the living room
The hum of the generator is our new favorite sound
Oh, maybe we should move to higher ground
Yeah, you and I should move to higher ground
(Bridge)
The neighbors ask if we will stay, they’re passing out supplies
We smile and take the water, while we’re trading friendly lies
Saying “It's just timber, it’s just wiring, it’s just drywall, it’s just mud.”
But this isn't about the water, this is all about the blood
The bad blood, the slow poison, the hundred-year-old hurt
That finally came to claim us, turning palaces to dirt
(Guitar Solo)
(Funky, clean, melodic guitar solo. Less about shredding and more about a soulful, rhythmic narrative. It should sound like someone thinking out loud, working through a problem with notes instead of words. A few staccato stabs, then some smooth, flowing lines, resolving on a slightly hopeful but uncertain chord.)
(Chorus)
This foundation is a memory, the driveway is a tomb
We're sharing silent knowledge in the living room
Your eyes across the wreckage is the only sound
I really think we’ll move to higher ground
Oh baby, we should move to higher ground
(Outro)
Yeah, higher ground
Leave the silt behind now
(Bassline gets simpler, more prominent, locking with a kick drum)
Higher ground
The river's got its own ideas...
(Bassline fades out with one final, definitive note.)
About The Song
This track, "We Should Move To Higher Ground," transforms the stark reality of a historic flood into an intimate metaphor for a relationship’s slow, inevitable collapse. Inspired by news of communities devastated by overwhelming river waters, the song avoids a literal retelling. Instead, it leverages the flood as a backdrop for a couple methodically and numbly dismantling a life they built together. Musically, it takes cues from the breezy, bass-driven nu-funk of artists like Sabrina Carpenter, creating a stark and compelling dissonance. The groove is danceable and light, while the lyrics are heavy with loss. This contrast mirrors the human experience of disassociation during a crisis—going through the practical motions of a cleanup while grappling with monumental emotional devastation. The Active Agency Mandate is central; the characters aren't passively drowning in sorrow but are actively measuring water lines, scrubbing floors, and cataloging damage, framing their emotional process as a tangible, arduous task.
Production Notes
Concept: Nile Rodgers produces a Vulfpeck track with lyrics about a relationship ending.
Vocals: The lead vocal should be delivered in a semi-detached, almost conversational style. Think the nonchalant confidence of modern indie pop. Use a Neumann TLM 102 for its clarity and modern sheen. The vocal chain should be simple: light compression (LA-2A) to even it out but keep the dynamics, a touch of plate reverb, and a subtle slapback delay to give it rhythmic space.
Instrumentation: The driving force is a clean, syncopated, melodic bassline, recorded direct-in. Drums should be tight and dry—a four-on-the-floor kick with a crisp snare and a busy, 16th-note hi-hat pattern. The guitar should be a clean Stratocaster tone, mostly playing rhythmic, staccato chords (the “chk-chk” sound) except for the melodic solo.
Arrangement: Keep the arrangement sparse to let the bass and vocals shine. The tension builds not through adding layers, but through the emotional weight of the lyrics against the relentless groove. During the bridge, strip back to just bass and a simple kick pattern to let the lyrical climax hit hard.
Mix Automation: Automate a subtle, wide stereo pan on the hi-hats to create a sense of unease. During the choruses, subtly push the reverb on the snare up to make the space feel bigger and more empty. Fade the outro to just the bass and kick before the final, definitive bass note.
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