Bass Thumper, Andi, B.D., Marty, firesong, James, David, and Brad:

Thanks much for taking the time to listen and for the great comments! A few responses on the specific suggestions and questions.

B.D.: Great suggestions. I will raise the volume of the bass—for some reason I decided to lower it at some point, but I can bring it back up easily enough. I’ll see what I can do on the drums, but they are always a bit of challenge for me.

Firesong and Brad re “Prayer to the world”: It’s a fair question, as it’s a somewhat atypical phrasing. I generally shy away from discussing the intent of a lyric because I can only respond by saying what it means to me . . . which may not resonate with you or other listeners.

But before I get there, I’d start by noting that I didn't want to use “Prayer for the world”. While I’m aware the song could be read more broadly, at its heart it is meant to be a song about a damaged relationship and the strength and commitment that’s needed to rekindle a dying love. It is a plea from one lover to the other (and in a way, is a prayer in itself). So to say, “for the world” takes the focus off that relationship and confuses the listener about the intent of the song (i.e., that it is more about the condition or plight of the world than their relationship). “For our world” could work (though not melodically), but I’d still have the same concern.

For better or worse, what I think I mean by it is this: a prayer, to me, is a private thing. To share that prayer, to say it publicly, to the world, is to display and demonstrate your faith to all. In this case, "a prayer to the world" is a prayer for all the world to hear . . . demonstrating to all the singer's hope for forgiveness and renewed love. Whether that works for some or all, I don't know. But it's what's intended, and regardless I would hope the song's message resonates nonetheless.

Brad: I think you may be right about the steel. I toyed with racing the volume a bit more, but if I do (and I probably will), I think I’ll need to do it selectively so as to minimize any clashing with the dreamy guitar runs. On the rushed vocal, in hindsight, I maybe should have added an extra beat or two in that break before “Say a prayer to the world” which might have then seemed less rushed . . . not sure though that I’ll try to tackle that at this point.

Last edited by Deej56; 01/29/23 09:47 AM.