Alice Smith is a NYC-based singer, who uses elements from a wide range of m… Read Full Bio ↴Alice Smith is a NYC-based singer, who uses elements from a wide range of musical styles, such as pop, rock, rnb and soul.

Her debut album, "For Lovers, Dreamers & Me", sets Rock & Pop music along a vocal landscape that evokes influences from a broad spectrum of artists such as, Patti Labelle, Nina Simone, Fiona Apple, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, and Billie Holiday. It's a happy marriage of her bluesy, soulful vocals balanced by mid-tempo grooves.

Desert Song
Alice Smith Lyrics

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The time has come
For me to start packing in
I'm folding the shores of my life
Into valises
I can't stand
This desert heat no more
I'm going away
I'm going away

I waited too long
To catch your signal
I counted the numbers, the letters, the days
Something tells me you're
You're not coming
I've got to go away
I'm going away

Now I'm writing you a letter
And I'm making it long
Now I'm breathing and I'm bleeding
And the pages are torn
Now I'm writing you to tell you
I may go missing and lost
The sand covers my face
The sand covers my face (covers my face)
The sand covers my face (covers my face)
(covers my face)

My mama said
"Life is for living
If you ain't happy, honey
Go out and reinvent yourself"
The desert is good
The desert is dark
I've got to go away
Said I'm going away

Now I'm writing you a letter
And I'm making it long
Now I'm breathing and I'm bleeding
And the pages are torn
Yeah, I'm writing you to tell you
I may go missing and lost
The sand covers my face
The sand covers my face (covers my face)

The sand covers my face (covers my face)
The sand

Overall Meaning

Song is a reflection of Alice Smith's life when she was living in Los Angeles, feeling lost and disconnected from herself and the world around her. The lyrics take us on a journey of packing up and leaving everything behind in search of something new and better. The opening lines set the tone of the song as Smith sings, "The time has come, for me to start packing in. I'm folding the shores of my life into valises." This is a strong imagery of packing up one's life and everything that represents comfort and familiarity.

As the song progresses, Smith reflects on missed opportunities and failed relationships. She sings about waiting too long and not catching someone's signal, indicating that she may have missed out on something important. Instead of dwelling on it, she decides it's time to move on and reinvent herself, as her mother advised her. Smith writes a letter to someone she cares about, possibly the person she missed out on, explaining that she may go missing and lost in her journey, but she must do what she needs to do.

The chorus "The sand covers my face" is a haunting line that illustrates the harsh reality of the desert heat and how it can consume you. It's not just about the physical sand but also represents feelings of being suffocated and overwhelmed. Overall, Desert Song is a powerful song about the struggle to find oneself and move on from past mistakes.

Line by Line Meaning

The time has come
It is time for me to make a move.

For me to start packing in
I must start preparing to leave.

I'm folding the shores of my life
I'm packing up my entire past and leaving it behind.

Into valises
I am carrying my life in suitcases.

I can't stand
I cannot handle the heat anymore.

This desert heat no more
I cannot tolerate this heat in this desert any longer.

I'm going away
I am leaving for good.

I waited too long
I procrastinated and missed your signal.

To catch your signal
I missed your message.

I counted the numbers, the letters, the days
I tried to decode your message but didn't succeed.

Something tells me you're
I have a feeling that you are not coming.