Tell me what's so fine about a canyon cut in time by a river down the line? Not much it can do but cut the canyon through, it's true. The thing I fail to see, applying it to me- well it don't work rationally. A river's got no choice against gravity's great voice, but me? Me?
I've got free will, and I piss it around just how I feel.
It's the gravity, I take it so seriously. It sends shivers down my spine.
It's hard to be easy when you're playing for your life. You just don't have the time...
For a river to unwind and cut a canyon open wide and fill it up with life. The parables were wrong, patience ain't worth a song this time. Because the natural way to be content with misery, it don't sit right with me. I've done it some before and found I wanted more but why? Why?
It's the gravity, I take it so seriously. It sends shivers down my spine.
It's hard to be easy when the stakes they seem so high, you're playing for your life, you just don't have the time...
For rivers to unwind and rub away the lime... polished to a shine...
Your brand new life by a river down the line.
lyrics
ABOUT
Writing this song took close to two years. The first line of the first verse and the last two lines of the second had come to me in a quick flash, then nothing. A year and a half later, I was smoking a cigarette outside of my apartment on New York Ave in Crown Heights when the rest fell out of my brain. I rushed upstairs and typed it all out in a Mac Notes file, played it through a few times, then let it sit for a month or two after than before recording it. I started working on this record, and it was the obvious choice for the opener. The meter changes and slight swing led me to perform the percussive elements rather than program them, and I would guess that a more than slight intoxication led to the choice of playing my coffee table with brushes instead of breaking out and setting up a snare and kick. It worked out well enough.
Chicago’s NIIKA has made a record rich in nuance, drawing on soul, pop, jazz, and even folk to craft stunningly intricate songs. Bandcamp New & Notable May 16, 2020
Consummate pop songwriting both smart and smooth, with the ability to resonate universally without compromising uniqueness. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 20, 2017