Nocturnal Reflections
Lisa Ritchie is a singer and songwriter with a brilliant sense for capturing emotion.
Lisa may live near the beach but her songs are no carefree summertime fare.
Lisa doesn’t shy away from deeply affecting subject matter; her songs are relatable for those who have felt the sting of heartbreak, the weight of personal loss and the universal pain that comes with growing up.
Graveyard
I cannot comprehend how it took me so long to realize how fantastic this track is. All the various parts of this song weave together to form an elegant allegory; the lyrics to this track are so fantastically poetic and moving. Once I finally took the time to truly listen, it hit me like an oncoming train. This song has tremendous depth and it seems that the more I analyze it the more questions I have. With that being said I will attempt to give a coherent interpretation of this magnificent piece of music.
“Running through the graveyard, asking how to play.
Pointing at the headstones, trying on their names.
breaking for a game plan, like I’m a halftime quarterback,
and you’re my part time lover with a lust for another and I just wanna win you back.”
I feel that the graveyard spoken of here is representative of the place you go when you feel a relationship is at a crossroads; it could be one that is about to begin or one that you feel may be nearing its end. A place where you reflect and contemplate on other relationships of your past as you decide whether or not the relationship you are in is salvageable even though oft times a part of you already knows that it isn’t. I have found that when it comes to love it can take some time for your head and your heart to get on the same page.
“I’m dusting through the index, for the symptoms and the signs,
Cold hands, shallow breathing, jaundice skin around the eyes,
And the lingering of illness, and the death in this disease,
Makes you a part-time lover with a lust for another and I just wanna get you free.”
This builds on what was previously established: you are searching through your index of past relations; remembering the way things were; the way they felt when things were good and when everything was over. Thinking whether or not the situation you find yourself in is better or worse than what you have experienced and in this case it seems like the latter. This way of talking about relationships is ingenious and effective. You really appreciate what is being experienced in the song as you agonize and endure along with the antagonist of the story.
“I’m a young grave digger when your blood is running with her and it’s not who I want to be.
She’s an undertaker, she’s a widow maker, and you still want her over me.
so I’m your halftime quitter, I’m your 3 way splitter, cuz I'm no longer in the lead.”
I have certainly been in a situation where I wished I could end the relationship between two people but I never thought to describe it this way; it is a superb analogy. When you have feelings for someone it can cause you to do things that you perhaps otherwise wouldn’t do. It is also incredibly difficult to see someone you love with another person when you feel they could do so much better, especially when you fell that you are the so much better. Sometimes these feelings are genuine, other times they are born out of jealousy but most of the time for me they are a mix of both.
“Now I’m tracing through the grapevine, did you ever get 90 days
remembering the mornings, I’d be trying on your name.
Before graveyards, before halftime, before symptoms on repeat
How are you long gone lover, will there ever be another why couldn’t I just get you clean.”
The relationship had ended at this point in the song and inevitably whether you are trying to or not you will often find yourself sifting through rumors and hearsay pertaining to how the relationship is going between the previous target of your affection and their new lover. This spurs additional moments of reflection on the good times you shared as well as regretting that you couldn’t make it work wondering if there was something you could have done to change things. I must admit to not having any profound ideas about the meaning of “did you ever get 90 days”. Only one thing came to my very analytical, logical mind. Common law marriage at least in a number of places here in the states requires that you spend a year together with no period of separation lasting more than ninety days. So perhaps the “90 days” here is referring to a relationship milestone of sorts. It does seem to be a question that is asked where you either already know the answer or have a very strong suspicion of what the answer will be. It is meant to be a bit of slap in the face or a taunt of sorts which I love.
This track tells a story and it does so in such a sincere, genuine and beautifully emotional way. It pulls me in as if with chains that cannot be broken and causes me to be quite invested in the tale being told. Whether I caught any part of this track the way it was intended remains to be seen but regardless I conclude that whatever I may understand is only the tip of the iceberg. I feel I have been enlightened through the profundity of knowledge expressed in this impressive composition. I have said this before and am sure to say it again; I am continuously blown away by the musicians I become acquainted with on the Twitch music platform. There is a certain quality to music that is written purely out of a love for music and a desire to express the feelings of your heart that it isn’t often found in the mainstream.
“You said we’re like maps, we all change with battles past.”
Lisa has created a collection of resplendent original music; I hope one day to take a deep dive into the track Maps. It is also a treasure trove of affecting lyrics which take you on quite a journey.
Follow the link below to check out Lisa’s superb original music.
