shelby lynne, “Paper van gogh”
from: I can’t imagine, 2015
“I threw these colors down in a fit of rage
My feelings hardly fit onto the page
Cloudy memories make for darker grays
But blue is how I paint myself today
Like my
Paper Van Gogh
Aluminum kites
A cold dark sea is warmer than my eyes
Paper Van Gogh
Watercolor art
I play my feelings on my
Origami harp
My Paper Van Gogh
Oh lessons been passed on down through the ages
Red wine spills out over ivory pages
The looking glass reveals what the strokes display
The greatest fake of all hangs on the wall
My Paper Van Gogh
Aluminum kites
A cold dark sea is warmer than my eyes
Paper Van Gogh
Watercolor art
I play my feelings on my
Origami harp
My Paper Van Gogh”
If I was running a songwriting class, I would trot out this as a shining example. It has a beautifully direct concept from which the song economically swirls: “a paper Van Gogh.” Just what is it about? Where is this going? Seeing her heartbreak in an art poster? I would say the songs that touch us most deeply often make this kind of leap by looking at something commonly known in a completely different way. Her changing vocal intensities and dynamic range rise up bringing the lyrics to unexpected places. She never presents the chorus in the same way. Three delicately blended acoustic guitarists, their subtle background harmonies, and this stellar singer bringing her words expressively to life.