Howdy here's the third song from my new album-in-progress Turning. The album is based on a collection of short stories by Australian author Tim Winton, who happened to grow up in the same place and way as I did.

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There’s a gun against your cheek
And you’re holed up in the window of your room
Below the town runs dirty as a creek
Stealing, cheating, lying in clouds of soft perfume
A boy was found legs broken at the joints
And your dog died on the patio for no cause
And the cops round here flash shiny golden coins
As they hold you tightly in their claws

Hold me hold me know that I have got your back
When murder comes I know what to do
I am one with this gun and fearless in attack
I take a long clear view

Walking down the street the cars come sliding by
They watch you for a while and then they leave
And you know you can’t talk about the things you see at night
You’re a stranger here, it’s too damned hot to breathe
The weight of this old gun is comfort raw and pure
The cold click of a firing pin will keep you safe
It’s hell around these parts but the road ahead is clear
You can hold out for as long as it will take

(Rpt chorus)

Really well done!! Very dark vibe to this. The sparse arrangement is perfect. Excellent vocal and mix. Great job!! Take care. Greg

I love the arrangement of this piece. A perfect sparse blend of the spot on instruments. Your vocal and lyrics took it over the top for me. Perfect mix also.

You should be very proud of this one.

Great song loved the timre to it, Thank you for sharing.

Beautiful into Matcham. Loved the backtrack it so clean. Guitar is excellent. Super vocal and lyric. Well done..

A thoughtful winsome tune.
Great write.
Rob.

"Matcham"...

In its stark, bruising imagery, this "Long, Clear View" is like nothing I've ever heard on this forum. There's a cold, bitter drama in its point-of-view of a harrowing life. That music could come out of such a despairing narrative could only be a testament to the survival of the person who experienced the world described in the song, which could mean that there's hope at the other end of the "Long, Clear View."

This song proves that music can describe anything and everything that life has in store for us. The mood sustained here piques my curiosity as to what BIAB style you used.

Best wishes for the album, "Matcham"!

LOREN

Songs this dark have to be done extremely well to avoid an artificially grim overlay. You avoided that with the literate write and minimalist but very effective production. And the intro so well established the feel write from the get go.

In summary, a story well told!

J&B

Great work on this, Matcham I like how sparse and spacious you decided to make the arrangement. It adds a lot of character to the tune, and sets a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere.

Thanks so much for sharing!

Nice write

love the sparse arrangement, everything sounds great

enjoyed the listen

Kenny

Howdy,

It's so difficult to pull off a song like this without it sounding like little more than a dirge-in-the-making. But you managed to create an excellent song here. I think your vocal delivery and the minimalist backing tracks were the perfect catalyst to attain that success. Very nice, indeed! Good luck with the CD!

Alan

Wow how excellent to return home camping after a few days (so apologies for the delay in writing this) to find all these comments waiting for me. They are particularly encouraging because I'm aware how dark this song leans and how self indulgent darkness can be. The stories I'm writing to are darker than I first acknowledged and so I know I'll have to balance it with light along the way. Even in this story hope is the overriding theme as Loren you recognised in your insightful comments.

Anyway, enough rambling. Thank you everyone for taking the time to comment. I might mention that the recent work of Lucinda Williams and Gretchen Peters has been a revelation to me in how songs can be produced.

Matt, that track sounds great! Beautiful sound contrasted with dark subject matter! You are a terrific lyricist! Thanks, Torrey