Where I Am, Air Will Be

I heard this phrase orginally read on the radio as a refrain in a poem. Many months later, unable to forget the image, I considered setting the poem to music. But I was also unable to remember the title or the author's name, I searched for the text, but could not locate the reading or the poem.

The words had disappeared into the ether, just as the author had imagined herself leaving behind an empty space after her death. And, I thought I could still recall, anticipating how that space might be filled up again.

So I wrote my own lyrics using her refrain. I can't claim my words are close to her intent, but I hope they respect it. The song is a round, built over a circular chord progression that rolls on like a meditation or recurring waves crashing on a beach, implying infinity.

Like all my MP3s, this is a demo to test an arrangement, warts and all. A

Where I Am

Where I am … air will be
The picture… pure mem’ry
And that’s the way the money goes and that’s the way the water flows
The Emperor puts on his clothes and after that nobody knows
Where I am

Where I am… air will be
Our shadows… are sunlight
Well, that’s the way they cross the buns and that’s the way the system runs
We take our spin around the sun and after that the show is done
Where I am

Where I am… air will be
The singing… is silence
From lullabye to Kyrie from molecule to Milky Way
Our every note will float away and after that, well, who can say
Where I am

Where I am… air will be
Where god is… god will be
Where I am… air will be
Where god is...


MP3 File