Before the age of nineteen thi… Read Full Bio ↴A singer-songwriter from New Zealand.
Before the age of nineteen this Southland girl had already been mentored by many of New Zealand's top producers, opened for Kelly Clarkson and The Script before eighteen, at seventeen honed her songwriting skills on a U.S. scholarship that took her to Nashville and the South By South West festival in Texas, and won the Smokefree Rockquest Female Musician Award and Play It Strange competition at sixteen and fifteen respectively.
Born and raised on a sheep farm in Tokanui - 60 kilometres south east of Invercargill, Annah has fond memories of singing with her two younger sisters at local jam-nights supported by the tight-knit township. Annah's childhood was also filled with countless family jams on road-trips and Australasian-wide adventures, including annual visits to the Tamworth Country Music Festival in New South Wales. By nine she had already won her first of three Gore Gold Guitar Awards.
Annah says that her songs are a mix of personal experiences and stories told from the perspectives of close friends - a sentiment that is clearly reflected in the lyrics of her debut album, 'Little Stranger'. Annah recorded the majority of the album at Roundhead studios with internationally renowned American producer Brady Blade, working with Josh Fountain from Kidz In Space at Woodcut Studios, and Wayne Bell and Ben King at The Lab to finish other tracks.
Silver Friend
Annah Mac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Make me breathe, make me believe
Cut me down so I found how to deceive
The ground shakes and the earth quakes
And I'm awake
[Chorus]
Watch my silver friend
Watch my silver friend
Fall from my fingers and onto my skin
To my skin
To my skin
[Verse 2]
Oh, happiness seemed so true
My body screamed, it screamed for you
The ground would shake, the earth did quake
And I would wait, would wait for you
[Chorus]
Watch my silver friend
Fall from my fingers and onto my skin
Watch my silver friend
Fall from my fingers and onto my skin
To my skin
To my skin
[Verse 3]
Silver falls from my eyes
As do these hands of mine
Every breath goes astray
And in my mind, games would play
[Chorus]
Watch my silver friend
Fall from my fingers and onto my skin
Watch my silver friend
Fall from my fingers and onto my skin
To my skin
To my skin
Oh
[Bridge]
Oh, I'm falling, I'm falling now
Please help me cos I'm falling now
Little sister, please close your eyes
Cos I'll, I'll see you in your dreams, sweet child
Oh, I'm falling straight to the ground
Cos I, oh, I loved you and I love you now
[Chorus]
Watch my silver friend
Fall from my fingers and onto my skin
Watch my silver friend
Fall from my fingers and onto my skin
To my skin
To my skin
The lyrics of Annah Mac's "Silver Friend" song delve into a feeling of loss and mourning that comes with having to let go of a close and cherished companion. The "silver friend" refers to something valuable, yet delicate, that has slipped out of the singer's hands and onto her skin. The lyrics in the first verse indicate that the loss has made her more self-aware, asking to be made to breathe and believe while acknowledging how she has been deceived. The chorus repeats the phrasing of the "silver friend" falling from her fingers onto her skin, emphasizing the physical sensation of mastery passing away from the singer.
In the second verse, the singer vividly describes what might have been the initial joy of the relationship—the nerves and anticipation before meeting the friend, the anxiety, and the trembling earth. However, instead of that moment being captured and framed, it's presented as fleeting, and the ground shakes again, but this time it breaks the bond between the friends. In the third verse, the inevitability of things ending is clear, and the images of the silver falling from her eyes and her hands show how powerless the singer is in the face of the separation.
The overall mood of the song is mournful, eliciting a feeling of sadness at how we must let go of things that we cherish. It creates an atmosphere of nostalgia and sadness, which is reinforced by the lyrics' repetition and the gentle, pensive guitar strumming.
Line by Line Meaning
Make me breathe, make me believe
I need someone to give me a reason to believe in something and take a breath.
Cut me down so I found how to deceive
I was hurt so deeply that I learned how to lie and deceive others as a defense mechanism.
The ground shakes and the earth quakes
Everything around me feels unstable and uncertain.
And I'm awake
I'm fully conscious of everything happening around me.
Watch my silver friend
Watch as my drug addiction takes hold of me and I begin to lose control of myself.
Fall from my fingers and onto my skin
I can feel the drugs taking over my body with each use.
Oh, happiness seemed so true
I once believed that happiness was possible for me.
My body screamed, it screamed for you
My body and mind long for the comfort and escape that drugs provide.
Silver falls from my eyes
I cry tears of regret and sorrow for the path my life has taken.
As do these hands of mine
My hands tremble from the effects of my drug use and my desperate attempts to stop.
Every breath goes astray
I can't seem to catch my breath or find a sense of calm and stability.
And in my mind, games would play
My mind is consumed by thoughts of my addiction and the lies I tell myself to keep using.
Oh, I'm falling, I'm falling now
I'm spiraling out of control and can't seem to stop myself from using drugs.
Please help me cos I'm falling now
I'm reaching out for help and support in my struggle with addiction.
Little sister, please close your eyes
I don't want my little sister to see me this way or be affected by my addiction.
Cos I'll, I'll see you in your dreams, sweet child
I hope to be a better role model and example for my sister, even if only in her dreams.
Oh, I'm falling straight to the ground
I feel like I'm going to hit rock bottom and can't stop it from happening.
Cos I, oh, I loved you and I love you now
My love for my sister and the desire to be a better person motivates me to seek help and recovery from addiction.
Contributed by Zachary S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.