His song Dark and Deep was selected for inclusion on Songs Inspired By Literature, Chapter One, a benefit CD to raise money for adult literacy campaigns. Other artists on that CD include Suzanne Vega, Aimee Mann, Grace Slick and Bruce Springsteen.
David has performed on the main stage of the internationally known Kerrville Folk Festival, and he was featured as the headline act at the 2004 Auckland Folk Festival. While there he was awarded lifetime membership in the Guitar Association of New Zealand, only the third international performer to be given that honor in the history of the organization.
David is the co-founder and director of Proyecto para las Escuelas Guatemaltecas, a non-profit organization that funds projects to improve schools in Guatemala. For more info, check the web site: www.pegpartners.org.
In the last year LaMotte has published a children's book based on his award-winning children's song S.S. Bathtub, a live concert DVD and a retrospective collection of Peace and Justice songs from his previous records, as well as his latest CD, Change, a collaborative project with cellist Stephanie Winters.
all right
David LaMotte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see the branches, they blow in the air
I know the sounds that this house makes at night
And I know you told me that I'll be alright
I see the light as it crawls across the floor
You asked me please not to call anymore
My friends all tell me that time heals all things
But I turn the clock off before it can ring
Put the pictures in the basement
Lock'em up tight
The presents and the postcards
Get'em out of sight
Wake up crying
In the middle of the night
Tell everybody you're doing all right
I made the coffee
And you made the bed
I made you sorry
For things that you said
Now I return
At the close of the day
To find that my life's in
Complete disarray
Put the pictures in the basement
Lock'em up tight
The presents and the postcards
Get'em out of sight
Wake up crying
In the middle of the night
Tell everybody you're doing all right
The song All Right by David LaMotte is a poignant recounting of the aftermath of a breakup. The singer is deeply affected by the end of the relationship and is struggling to come to terms with the new reality. Through the lyrics, the singer conveys a sense of disorientation and loss. There is a sense of familiarity in the surroundings - the knocking, the branches blowing in the air, and the sounds the house makes at night - but the loss of the relationship has thrown everything off-kilter. The singer acknowledges the advice of friends that time heals all things, but he is unwilling to wait for time to do its work. Instead, he turns off the clock before it rings, indicating a desire to freeze time and prevent further change in his life.
The singer adopts a strategy of putting away all reminders of the relationship, including pictures, presents, and postcards. The act of putting them away in the basement and locking them up tight symbolizes a desire to keep them out of sight and out of mind. However, they continue to haunt him, causing him to wake up crying in the middle of the night. Despite this pain, the singer insists on telling everybody that he is doing all right, perhaps in an attempt to convince himself that he is capable of moving on. The final lines describing the singer making coffee and the bed, and returning to find his life in complete disarray, convey a sense of hopeless repetition and a feeling that the singer is unable to break free from the cycle of pain and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the knocking and I know who's there
I am familiar with the person who is at the door through the sound I hear.
I see the branches, they blow in the air
The movement of the branches caused by the breeze is what I observe.
I know the sounds that this house makes at night
I am acquainted with the sounds that the house emits when it is nighttime.
And I know you told me that I'll be alright
I remember your assurance that things will turn out fine.
I see the light as it crawls across the floor
I am witnessing the slow movement of light across the floor.
You asked me please not to call anymore
You requested that I refrain from contacting you.
My friends all tell me that time heals all things
My acquaintances share the belief that time is a remedy to all things.
But I turn the clock off before it can ring
I prefer to stop the clock before it starts ringing.
Put the pictures in the basement
I am suggesting that the photos should be kept in the basement.
Lock'em up tight
The photos must be secured tightly to avoid loss or damage.
The presents and the postcards
Along with photos, other gifts and postcards should also be kept out of sight.
Get'em out of sight
The belongings must be concealed from view or from being noticed.
Wake up crying
I wake up with tears, feeling depressed and helpless.
In the middle of the night
This sadness and hopelessness come to me at night.
Tell everybody you're doing all right
Despite the misfortune, I lie to people by saying that I am fine.
I made the coffee
I am the one who brewed the coffee.
And you made the bed
You arranged the bed, made it tidy.
I made you sorry
I caused you to express regret for something.
For things that you said
You regret the words you uttered.
Now I return
I come back to the place once again.
At the close of the day
It was toward the end of the day when I arrived.
To find that my life's in
I discover that my life is currently in a state of chaos and confusion.
Complete disarray
Things are completely messed up and out of order.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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