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The Way Down

from The Way Down by Van Plating

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about

The Way Down was one of those rare, stream of consciousness writing moments (that ended up actually making sense when all was said and done). I was in Virginia recording the second batch of songs for my album with friend and collaborator Bryan Elijah Smith. I’d just arrived that day, and when we decided to shut down the session for the night I’d been awake for almost 24 hrs straight. Neither of us were really ready to stop creating even though we were bone tired, so we sat outside on the porch in the cool summer virginia night with a bottle of wine between us and wrote a song. A freaking sad song. There were no words--just melody and chords to start. I scatted the whole thing in its complete form within a short time and then looked at my co-writer and said “Dude i don’t think I can come up with anything good lyrics wise right now. I’m fried.” and he gently suggested we just listen back, line by line, and decipher what I was saying. Because it sounded like words. It was about 2am. I just couldn’t hear what I was saying. Ha! Well he was right, the words were all there. I had somehow written a song in a dream state. I wish I could recreate that experience every time!

The words bubbled up from the moment I was living in, crystalizing forever the feelings of being sad, misunderstood, down on my luck but rolling with it. Life sucks sometimes. 2020 really drove that point home. This is me, throwing my hands in the air, leaning into the down side and making it into a line dance through the low times. You’re feeling sad, but it’s cool. “I ain’t nothin’. But I”m feelin’ cool. Are you feelin’ cool?”

In a dream world a sad Matthew Mcconaughey would have stumbled his way through a dance sequence from a bar scene to a middle of nowhere’sville, whiskey in hand as he surveys a barren landscape, alone and fine with it.

lyrics

I love my love's light
I left it alone
Who are you?
Banging on the door
Don't turn around
Hold me now, alone, by my belittled light
Put it out put it down
All the way down
I don't want to fight or win

I ain't nothin'
But I'm feelin' cool
Are you feelin' cool?
I ain't nothin'
But I'm feelin' cool
Are you feelin' cool?

I lost another fight
I left it alone
Who am I?
Leave it by the door
Don't turn around
Hold me now, alone, by my belittled light
Put it out put it down
All the way down
I don't want to fight or win

I ain't nothin'
But I'm feelin' cool
Are you feelin' cool?
I ain't nothin'
But I'm feelin' cool
Are you feelin' cool?

credits

from The Way Down, track released November 19, 2021

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Van Plating Lakeland, Florida

Critically acclaimed indie americana artist and multi-instrumentalist Van Plating has a rugged vulnerability uniquely hers ─ fermented in the orange groves and hot verdant summers of the sunshine state.

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