"I kind of spilled blood all over this project" Speace said of her third album, The Killer in Me. It marked a quantum creative leap from the artist's 2006 breakthrough effort Songs for Bright Street. While that release won her widespread critical acclaim and a loyal international fan base, The Killer in Me found the singer/songwriter forging into deeper, darker lyrical and musical terrain, borne largely out of relationships gone wrong, then right and wrong again. "This is the record that I needed to make," Speace states. "In many ways, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. And in some ways, it was the easiest. Writing the songs was emotionally difficult, deep and intense--it was kind of an exorcism. But in the end, the songs flowed pretty quickly. You write the things that you're afraid to say out loud."
Storm Warning
Amy Speace Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tape the cracks in the windows
Lock the doors shut the lights
Stamp out all the mirrors
This is gonna hurt
This is gonna hurt
On the antiseptic shelves
Clean the muskets and the bayonets
In the arsenal
CHORUS
?The missing gives it meaning? you whispered at my neck
You kissed me for the first time right before you left
I stood there with my eyes closed praying for your safe return
What I wish now that I?d done is beg you not to join
Feel the wind direction change
The darkening is nearing
Electricity is creeping
With a pinprick and a tearing
CHORUS
The telegram they brought today was brief and featherweight
It said you died a soldier with a brave and quiet grace
The war it rages closer I?ll prepare for the storm
For the coming midnight battles, for all l that I will mourn
My wounds will itch and open
They will scar in the air
It?s the love that will linger
Like your scent in my hair
CHORUS
Amy Speace's song "Storm Warning" is a poignant depiction of how it feels to endure the absence and subsequent loss of someone in war. The opening lines of the song are filled with a sense of urgency and caution, evoking the image of a coming storm. The laundry needs to be taken off the line, the cracks in the windows are taped up, and the doors are locked shut. The singer takes things one step further and stamps out all the mirrors, as if to avoid even catching a glimpse of herself, knowing full well what is to come.
The mood is set as soon as she starts singing "This is gonna hurt." The second verse mentions the muskets and bayonets being cleaned, providing context that the person leaving is a soldier. The chorus is a hauntingly beautiful reminder of the moment that intimacy was first shared between the two, right before the soldier left. There is a sense of foreboding as the wind direction changes, and the lengthening shadows signal something ominous drawing near. The last lines of the second verse indicate that the telegram announcing the soldier's death has been received. The singer is preparing herself for the storm, for the midnight battles that are yet to come, for everything that she will mourn. In the end, the memory of her lover remains close, just like his scent in her hair, even as she tries to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Get the laundry off the line
Retrieve our laundry from the clothesline outside
Tape the cracks in the windows
Use tape to seal any gaps in the windows
Lock the doors shut the lights
Securely lock the doors and turn off the lights
Stamp out all the mirrors
Extinguish the reflection in all mirrors
This is gonna hurt
This forthcoming event will be painful
This is gonna hurt
This forthcoming event will be painful
Count the gauze and the dressings
On the antiseptic shelves
Clean the muskets and the bayonets
In the arsenal
Take inventory of the medical supplies and clean the weapons in our arsenal
The missing gives it meaning you whispered at my neck
You kissed me for the first time right before you left
I stood there with my eyes closed praying for your safe return
What I wish now that I'd done is beg you not to join
You whispered to me that missing each other will give more meaning to our love. You kissed me before leaving for the first time, and I prayed for your safe return with my eyes closed. I regret not begging you to stay and not join the fight.
Feel the wind direction change
The darkening is nearing
Electricity is creeping
With a pinprick and a tearing
Sense the change in the wind direction, indicating the approach of darkness. Feel the electricity in the air building up as the storm draws closer.
The telegram they brought today was brief and featherweight
It said you died a soldier with a brave and quiet grace
The war it rages closer I'll prepare for the storm
For the coming midnight battles, for all that I will mourn
The telegram notifying me of your death was short and light. It mentioned your courageous, peaceful passing as a soldier. The war is getting closer, and I will brace myself for the storm, grieve for everything that I've lost and prepare for forthcoming midnight battles.
My wounds will itch and open
They will scar in the air
It's the love that will linger
Like your scent in my hair
My emotional wounds will reopen and cause pain. They will leave invisible scars. While everything fades away, the memory of our love will continue to linger, just like the scent of your hair.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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