"In the Moonlight," produced by Jason Ford at StepsTone Studio in Poway, CA was released in May of 2009. She followed the release with a solo tour this fall up the West Coast with Austin singer/songwriter, Parker Ainsworth, hitting San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Spokane, Victoria and many towns in between.
Over many years, Dawn has planted seeds of music, art and writing in her life as she was raised in New Jersey, attended college in New York City and lived two times overseas in Europe. In the summer of 1999 Dawn wrote her first song as a gift for her sister's birthday and from that point on continued to do so as a hobby until 2005, when she began to dedicate herself to music as a career.
Dawn is grateful to call Los Angeles her current home, though it was in San Diego where she first got started. She remembers the open mic at Twiggs' Green Room where she let her songs be heard for the first time. It was at this venue where she began to find her musical bearings and nurtured the need to share and express her music through monthly performances.
Her successes since that time have included receiving the San Diego HAT Award for Best New Acoustic Artist in 2007, being featured on CTN'S Java Jams show, as well as on the KUSI and NBC San Diego morning news programs. She is also featured on the Bushwalla song, "Mayhem is Beautiful," for the San Diego Fire Relief Compilation CD.
Dawn Mitschele is dedicated to producing honest music founded in the principles of love and gratitude, and she hopes to carry this message to her listeners, especially during live shows. After a recent performance, a local musician expressed that, "people were just hanging on to her every word. I think that's the difference between someone who sings a song and someone who truly believes what they are saying."
water
Dawn Mitschele Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh not meant to be held in the hand
I let you go drifting instead of doing all that I can
To keep you close to me
And is it my all-consuming love affair
With solitude and dreams
Oh you are better than any fantasy
Oh you are water slippin' away, slippin' away
Fire, it burns through pages
Turning your heartfelt words into dust
And oh I am just like the flame is
I'm destroying you every time I mess up
And ss it my all-consuming love affair
With solitude and dreams
Oh you are better than any fantasy
And I tend to forget what that means
Oh you are water slippin' away, away, away
You're drifting away, away, away
And I put my hands up to the sky and I am trying to catch you
And there ain't no wonder, wonder why I can't hold on to you
Is it my all-consuming love affair
With solitude and dreams
Oh you are better than any fantasy
And I tend to forget what that means
Oh you are water slippin' away
The lyrics of Dawn Mitschele's song Water is a powerful reflection on the fleeting and ephemeral nature of human connections. The opening lines, "Water, it slips through my fingers / Oh not meant to be held in the hand / I let you go drifting instead of doing all that I can / To keep you close to me", speak of the fragility and fluidity of relationships, and how the more one tries to grasp something intangible like love, the more it slips away.
The lyrics then dive deeper into the singer's psyche as she reflects on her own self-destructive tendencies, much like the fire that burns through pages, turning heartfelt words into dust. She likens herself to the flame that destroys everything it touches, and in doing so, sabotages her own chances at love and connection. Mitschele then poses the question - is it her all-consuming love affair with solitude and dreams that keeps her from fully embracing the chance for true love? Does she let water slip away because she is afraid of what it truly means to commit to another person?
In the final lines, the singer puts her hands up to the sky, a gesture of surrender, as she recognizes the transience of everything in life, including love. She acknowledges that while water will continue to slip away, she will keep trying to catch it, even if it means putting herself in a vulnerable position.
Line by Line Meaning
Water, it slips through my fingers
Water represents something precious that is difficult to hold on to or keep close.
Oh not meant to be held in the hand
The thing represented by water is not meant to be controlled or contained.
I let you go drifting instead of doing all that I can
I did not do everything in my power to keep the precious thing close to me.
To keep you close to me
I have a desire to keep the precious thing near me, but struggle to do so.
And is it my all-consuming love affair
I am overly focused and consumed by something (possibly a fixation on solitude and dreams).
With solitude and dreams
I have a tendency to prioritize being alone and having aspirations over other aspects of my life.
Oh you are better than any fantasy
The thing represented by water is more valuable and fulfilling than any imagined scenario.
And I tend to forget what that means
Despite recognizing the value of the precious thing, I frequently overlook it and fail to appreciate it fully.
Oh you are water slippin' away, slippin' away
The precious thing is slipping away from me and I am struggling to hold on to it.
Fire, it burns through pages
Fire represents destructive forces that can consume and destroy things, possibly in reference to a relationship or communication.
Turning your heartfelt words into dust
The destructive forces are ruining something that was once meaningful and sincere.
And oh I am just like the flame is
The artist sees themselves as a destructive force like the fire, contributing to the ruin of something valuable.
I'm destroying you every time I mess up
The singer is responsible for damaging the valuable thing, even when it is not intentional.
You're drifting away, away, away
The valuable thing is consistently moving further away from the singer's grasp.
And I put my hands up to the sky and I am trying to catch you
The singer is desperately trying to keep hold of the valuable thing.
And there ain't no wonder, wonder why I can't hold on to you
Despite trying to hold on tightly, the artist cannot seem to keep the valuable thing close to them.
Contributed by Caden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.