Tiny Giants
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Tiny Giants
There’s a space in my stomach where my fears go to hide
Like tiny giants growing to a bigger size
I can’t close my eyes, I can’t close my eyes
There’s a place for a smile, but I can’t find the disguise
The tiny giants act surprised, they just patronize
I can’t stop the ride, I can’t stop the ride
Like a mountain to my heart, it’s so hard to climb
I’ve gotten good at falling down
But getting back up, it takes a lifetime
I am a crazy dreamer out of control by design
I feel the tiny giants making a meal of my mind
I can’t close my eyes, I can’t close my eyes
The tiny giants won’t rest tonight
* * *
Mike Vial: vocals, 12-string guitar, piano
Recorded by Marshall Block at Real ii Reel Studios, August 5, 2011
Mastered by Marshall Block
* * *
Songwriting Notes
I originally wrote this as a songwriting challenge. I used a tezra-rima poem structure to break myself from the overused rhyming couplet patterns, and the first draft called “Late, Gate” was intended to be a submission in the “ForSongsSake” competition. Sadly, the force rhyme pattern and cadence keep getting in the way of melody line! The first draft experienced a slow, painful death on Tuesday.
Two days later, I read a film submission listing requesting “an emotional song about despair, pain, or loss from the perspective of a male teenager.” I thought parts of my first draft of “Late, Gate” could work, but I needed a new voice for the song. I freed myself slightly from the terza-rima format, spent a few hours working on new music, and made the song more abstract. The running title was “Where Fears Go to Hide.”
Still, I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere until I stumbled upon the image of “Tiny Giants” during the a second hour of writing on Thursday. We’ve all heard the cliche of having butterflies in our stomach; I always feel like I have tiny giants stumbling around my gut whenever I get anxious, worried or upset. Once I found that metaphor and continued rewriting lines, the song became much connected.
This version is still in demo format. Marshall Block and I spent two and a half hours burning the midnight oil at his studio so I could meet the film submission deadline today. All guitars are first takes. Same with the piano track! We only did two takes from vocals and cut-and-paste the best parts from both. A quick mix, a quick master and it was time to leave at 3 AM.
Special thanks to Marshall for working with me so last minute and so late into the morning.
