'Break My Spell' was written the week after 'Sigh My Name Softly' and is a lot darker. I have had my bouts with anhedonia and this song was an attempt at communicating what that feels like for me. I think it actually tends toward the more dramatic but I like that the lyrics turned out as I intended.
lyrics
There's an unnatural quiet
A falling backwards and away
A feeling creeping up on me,
Sometimes unnoticed as a stray.
Something's missing from the light,
A quality lacking in all sound,
The feeling in my fingertips...
I'm loosing all that I had found
I used to hibernate
Until this fate would pass me by
This time I'll just take your hand
If you don't mind
Break my spell
Break my spell
Help me with these knots
That used to tie me up so very well
Obsessing every waking moment
A mental flood that drowns all sleep
I'm harvesting all that I have sown
But I can keep nothing that I reap.
There's anguish in every detail
There's a worm in every fruit
I'm running through these empty streets now
But I can't shake this cruel pursuit
I used to hesitate
Just waiting for these tangles to unwind
But this time I'll take your hand
If you don't mind
Break my spell
Break my spell
Help me change my course
So this wind will fill my empty sails
Break my spell
I need the courage for something else
I need the strength to just break free
But there is always that looming knot,
That dark pit of uncertainty.
A seedling pressure stirs within me
And now my breathing just won't start
There's a bud of gloom that threatens
To bloom deep beneath this heart.
Once I would tread water
Until the slaughter tide left me dry
But this time I'll take your hand
If you don't mind
Break my spell
Break my spell
Defuse all my doubts
With your voice that rings like cathedral bells.
Break my spell
Break my spell
Break my spell
Guide me through this no man's land
And wait for me if I rebel
Break my spell
Break my spell
Flood me with the faith
That you will catch me if I ever fell
credits
from Blood&Honey,
released May 13, 2010
Written and performed by Stephen Cluff.
Four indie-pop reflections on growth and loss from the Australian singer-songwriter, sustained by robust pianos and fervent vocals. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 29, 2024