Praying That a Full Moon Bring the Tide Back to Me
You can't hold the sea when the tide slips through your hands
She is like the sea, her love is like a rolling tide
My heart is like the sand, it risks just being swept aside
Then chase in vain pursuit as that wave returns to the sea
Praying that a full moon bring the tide back to me
THE TIDE
© 2005 - Matthew Moran
Arrogant Sage Music
Abbreviated Backstory: The Writing Of…
I don’t need to cover all the backstory to this song. It would be a bit too personal. Not for me, necessarily, but there are other parties. Suffice to say, it was during a particularly difficult period where I could feel something important was slipping away.
The song is not difficult to decipher. There is very little hidden. Those who know me, know. Those who don’t can probably figure it out. The veil is both thin and tattered - quite see through.
Suffice to say, we had moved to Arizona and there was a longing to return to California that formed the backdrop to the song and produced the first line.
She’s standing on the front porch, looking West
Salty mist in her eyes and times like these, well they, put us both to the test
I’ve always liked the tune and received great feedback when playing it out.
So, this week, while working on some acoustic recordings, I decided to focus a little attention on my song, The Tide.
You can blame/thank Deb for this. She is always asking me to play the song. Given the inspiration was someone else, this is a standing inside joke between us.
Years ago I saw Gordon Lightfoot in concert. He mentioned during the concert that his current and former wife were in the audience. He appreciated that both had inspired good songs. So, if it is good enough for Gordon, it’s good enough for me.
I appreciate Deb’s humor and honesty when she asks me to play the song. She loves it because it is, dare I say it, a great song! That is my objective and unbiased opinion.
Sure, you may say, “Of course you like it, you wrote it you arrogant nimwit!”
When I pretend I’m someone else listening to the song, I still like it. So… there you go… unbiased!
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A Recording & Lyrics
Here is an acoustic recording. Below that the lyrics. Below the lyrics I’ve included some of the technical details of how it was recorded. If you find such things interesting, check it out.
I hope you enjoy it!
A special thank you to Shaunobi, who mixed the song for me. (see the recording details below).
Lyrics
VERSE She’s standing on the front porch, looking West Salty mist in her eyes and times like these, well they, put us both to the test Cuz in her mind she’s on the California coast with wind swept auburn hair Hearing waves, gulls, and children and wishing I would take her there (chorus) CHORUS She is like the sea, her love is like a rolling tide My heart is like the sand, it risk just being swept aside Chase in vain pursuit as that wave returns to the sea Praying that a full moon bring the tide back to me VERSE Does she remember those times we’d call in sick Drawn through the canyons by a pull way too strong to resist She’d lay in my arms, we watch the waves roll in I was drowning in love as the tide pulled me in again (chorus) VERSE Listening to her sleep, her dreams carry her away She won’t recall a thing when she wakes but that don’t change anything She hears the sirens call, sees the distant shore, feels her toes in the sand And you can’t hold the sea when the tide slips through your hands (chorus)
The Recording Of…
The song was recorded using the following gear:
A Shure SM57 (microphone - see below)
Mackie Big Knob Studio (interface/mixer)
Reaper (recording software)
My Ibanez acoustic guitar
I recorded the same guitar twice - panned left and right.Mixed by Shaunobi
Shaunobi is a recording/mixing engineer who takes part in an online community I am a member of. He offered his assistance on the song.
Why the Shure SM57?
Good enough for Bon Iver, good enough for me.
I don’t have the ideal recording space in the condo. I do some noise dampening but my Rode microphone picks up freeway noise and everything else. Condenser mics are like that.
The Shure has less dynamic range and significantly less sensitivity. But… it sounds great. Also, here is an article about two critically acclaimed albums that were recorded on the same microphone. Bon Iver, "For Emma, Forever Ago" and Sufjan Stevens, "Greetings from Michigan".
A little about vocal takes
I sent Shaunobi two primary vocal takes and several versions of the chorus so he could layer those.
Oh… a take is simply a single recording. So, I had two recordings of me singing the entire song and then a couple more recordings of me singing the chorus.
When I heard his first mix I could hear I was flat on the third verse - a couple locations. I ended up re-recording that verse separate - phrase by phrase. I sat with my guitar, playing the notes I was trying to hit. It arguably became the best verse of the song (vocally).
While I contemplated re-recording every verse the same way (a phrase at a time) both Shaunobi and I decided the song was “done.” There are few things as terrifying as done. You hear everything you want to change.
But, he’s offered to help mix a couple other songs and we are backlogged with 200 songs, so I’m recording guitar for the next song. Deciding on the next song is also a bit challenging. We went through the entire list and decided on several of them - which is to say, we were failing at the selecting.
And so, I made an executive decision and “we” are recording, The Coward and The Fool. No tag backs! ;-) Here is a video from when I was first writing the song. It’s kind of funny.
Next up, a video
We’re going to put together a quickie music video for The Tide - using the acoustic recording… quickie being relative. Predictably, we’ll be heading down to the coast to shoot a couple performance style shots and some b-roll.
I shared a mix of the song from the other day with Steve, my lead guitarist, and he wants to record on the song. To be continued…
Thank you for joining me on this journey and thank you for listening.
Sincerely,
Matthew Moran
July 22, 2023
Put me down as a fan :-) Great lyrics, nice performance!