N8's Artistic Endeavors: "Scarecrow"
Lyrics:
Scarecrow
There once was a witch who lived long ago by the name of “heandyou”
I got green eyes and transformed
Now he’s dead and gone but the residue remains
Of the spell he performed
Don’t put a scarecrow in your heart
Because that’s all it took to tear two lovers apart
Because I’m just some simple bird
Who has flown around the world
With a taste for grain and not for pearls
A taste for you…
Now that he’s gone, I’ll swoop down between the fields
And maybe take human form
All it will take is an autumn flavored kiss
Snuck between ears of corn
Don’t say “go!”
I’m not what I once
Was long ago
No one in this town
Can see past my darkened down…
Now, even my birdbrain can see
You’re more regal than the trees
Even crawling through fields of wheat
You’re pristine, but your beauty’s just a husk
It’s for your corncobs that I lust
Just a view is not enough
This is the only song that I have written (at least in its entirety) in Massachusetts, and it's also one of my favorites. This song represents one of the rare instances that I have actually written some of the words before the music itself. I walked around clapping my hands and singing "Don't put a scarecrow in your heart!" for about a week before I had any music.
When I think of this song, I often wonder what comparisons people will draw between it and They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse in Your Soul." A few connections come immediately to mind. First, both songs achieve metonymy through the use of bird-based apparati. Second... well, I suppose that's about the extent of the connection, although you might say that both songs have a lighthearted dimension. I would like to point out, however, that unlike the They Might Be Giants song, "Scarecrow" advocates restraint rather than action: the goal is to NOT put a scarecrow in your heart.
The song is a bit more lighthearted than the usual Quiet Siege fare, which is why I originally slated it to go on the third album rather than on Erros. In the end, however, I just couldn't bring myself to let the song sit that long, especially because it was far superior to "Simile" and "When I Try to Kiss You," and I was looking for an excuse to kick both of them off of the album.
There isn't overly much to say about the music itself. In fact, I almost ditched the song for being too simple. However, I wrote so many little parts the song changes a lot, which makes it interesting despite the simplicity of those individual parts. Elliott Smith's "Miss Misery," for example (although the little parts are interesting in and of themselves), is made up of so many bridges, pre-chorus, and what-not that those terms lose all meaning. That's sort of what I went for with this song. Also, the jangly nature of the rhythm and the chords does give one the impression of romping through a cornfield, searching for that farm girl whom you have not spoken with since long ago...