Monday, February 8, 2016

Lyrics: Manhattan


I have recently taken to copying down lyrics to songs I love and really taking the time to relish the words and their meanings. Sometimes I come across a song I love and though I don't identify with the exact scenario laid out in the song's story, I treasure it all the same. Maybe it's the words themselves or the way they sound when combined with the music. Maybe it's just the fact that somewhere deep inside, I know I could feel this way, or that I have felt this way; the details are just different. Regardless of the real explanation, I love the power of music to sway and gentle me or rev me up. A couple weeks ago when we got #Jonas2016 and were buried under days of winter weather, “Manhattan” by Sara Bareilles kept me company as the perfect, wistful, snow-day song. Enjoy.


"Manhattan"
by Sara Bareilles


You can have Manhattan
I know it's for the best
I'll gather up the avenues
And leave them on your doorstep
And I'll tip toe away
So you won't have to say
You heard me leave

You can have Manhattan
I know it's what you want
The bustle and the buildings
The weather in the fall
And I'll bow out of place
To save you some space
For somebody new

You can have Manhattan
Cause I can't have you

Ahhhhh

You can have Manhattan
The one we used to share
The one where we were laughing
And drunk on just being there
Hang on to the reverie
Could you do that for me?
Cause I'm just too sad to

You can have Manhattan
Cause I can't have you

And so it goes
One foot after the other
Til black and white begin to color in
And I know
That holding us in place
Is simply fear of what's already changed

Ahhhhh

You can have Manhattan
I'll settle for the beach
And sunsets facing westward
With sand beneath my feet
I'll wish this away
Dismissing the days
When I was one half of two
You can have Manhattan
Cause I can't have you

2 comments:

Skye Hoffert said...

I want to go to New York, so many songs are written about it.

Tracey Dyck said...

I've never heard this song, but the lyrics are so bittersweetly wistful. I like this idea of writing down lyrics and absorbing them that way... Music is such a powerful thing.