Combining elements of both rock and folk music, along with disturbingly personal sentiments, dark humor, and a voice able to channel both the falsetto highs of Neil Young and the wavering raspy low tones of Leonard Cohen, Toronto's Hayden Desser has spent his career creating uniquely affecting music.
The critically-acclaimed musician first appeared in the early '90s armed with only his four-track tape recorder, his unexpectedly low vocal range, and an extremely detuned guitar. Going simply by the name Hayden, he recorded his self-released cassette, In September, in 1994, and much of the material included evolved into his first proper LP, 1995's Everything I Long For. Initially self-released on his own Hardwood Records, the debut disc toed the line between beautiful and horrifying, touching on simple details of human interaction as well as delving into macabre tales that still retained an oddly personal edge. After a year of touring Canada, E.T.I.L.F. was picked up by Outpost Recordings (Geffen) and was released worldwide in early 1996. Tours of the U.S., Europe and Japan took up most of 1996, as well as writing and recording the title track to the Steve Buscemi-directed Tree’s Lounge. Hayden’s second full-length record. The Closer I Get (1998) was recorded in Toronto, Bearsville, N.Y., Seattle and Los Angeles. After another year of touring, Hayden closed the book on chapter one of his musical endeavors.
The next couple of years went by without any performances, but during 2000, Hayden began writing and recording in his Toronto home. The self-produced collection of songs was titled Skyscraper National Park and was released in 2001 to world–wide critical acclaim.
The following year, a live concert double CD was released, Live at Convocation Hall, a glimpse, for the listener, into what makes Hayden’s appearances such a favourite among his ever devoted fan base. His natural rapport with the crowd, along with an honest demeanour, has continued Hayden’s reputation as a unique and charming performer.
In 2004, Hayden released his 4th studio album. Elk-Lake Serenade continued in the direction of Skyscraper with it’s collection of warm and memorable recordings. 2004 also heralded Hayden’s return to the road with several tours that took him as far as Australia and New Zealand.
After a long period of writing and recording, Hayden returned in early 2008 with his 5th full-length studio record. In Field & Town is his most musically diverse and textured record to date. It captures his penchant for self-referential fiction and emotionally heavy songs and laces them with sharp hooks and smart lyrics. After supporting The National in Europe in November of ‘07, Hayden completed a sold-out theatre tour of Canada as well as spring and fall North American tours supporting Feist. In Field & Town was released on Fat Possum in the U.S.A. and November saw the release in Europe via the Affairs of the Heart label, combined with Nov./Dec. dates in the UK, France, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and Germany.
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Long Way Down
Hayden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the places we both were known?
Do you walk where we used to roam?
And do your thoughts go by me in their flow?
When I'm alone, sometimes I need to know
Baby it's a long way down
And I wonder how you've changed?
Has your brain lost cells it won't replace?
And are you light, or weighed down with mistakes?
When it gets late, sometimes I see your face
Baby it's a long way down
Baby let your feelings show
It's all I need from you to let go
'Cause baby, I can't stay this low
And there's so much I need to grow
And I know you never go
To the places we both were known
And you don't walk where we used to roam
And your thoughts don't pass me in their flow
'Cause if they did, I wouldn't be out alone
Baby it's a long way down
Baby let your feelings show
It's all I need from you to let go
'Cause baby, I can't stay this low
And there's so much I need to know
The lyrics of Hayden's song "Long Way Down" show a longing for connection and closure after a relationship has ended. The singer asks if the other person ever visits the places they used to go to together, wondering if their memories and thoughts ever cross paths. The singer also wonders how much the other person has changed and if they are burdened by their mistakes. They express a desire for the other person to show their feelings, hoping that it will help them both move on and grow.
The repetition of the line "Baby it's a long way down" conveys a sense of distance and lost chances, highlighting the difficulty of moving on from a past relationship. The singer's longing is evident in lines such as "And when it gets late, sometimes I see your face", suggesting that they still hold onto memories of the other person. At the same time, the singer seems to understand that they cannot always have answers or closure, as seen in the lines "And I know you never go to the places we both were known" and "If they did, I wouldn't be out alone".
Overall, the lyrics of "Long Way Down" tackle the complex emotions of post-relationship reflection, causing listeners to feel a sense of longing and nostalgia for past connections and moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you ever go
Do you ever visit the same places we used to go together?
To the places we both were known?
To the places where we were known and recognized as a couple?
Do you walk where we used to roam?
Do you walk to the places where we used to wander hand in hand?
And do your thoughts go by me in their flow?
Do your thoughts still wander around me?
When I'm alone, sometimes I need to know
When I'm alone, I try to find out about your present circumstance.
Baby it's a long way down
It's a long journey down to find who you really are these days.
And I wonder how you've changed?
I wonder how much different you became from the person I used to know?
Have the years left trails I cannot trace?
Did your past experiences shape you into someone you can barely recognize?
Has your brain lost cells it won't replace?
Have you lost parts of yourself that you can never recover?
And are you light, or weighed down with mistakes?
Are you carefree and satisfied or bearing the weight of the things you regret?
When it gets late, sometimes I see your face
At times, I recall the memories I had with you late at night and wonder.
Baby let your feelings show
Please speak out what you feel and let me understand where we stand.
It's all I need from you to let go
Just tell me how you really feel so I can move on.
'Cause baby, I can't stay this low
I don't want to stay stuck in the same old memories, it's time to rise up.
And there's so much I need to grow
I have a lot to learn and lots of experience to gain.
And I know you never go
I know that you've moved on from the past we shared together.
To the places we both were known
You don't visit those places where we used to be seen as a couple.
And you don't walk where we used to roam
You don't walk to the spots we formerly went to together.
And your thoughts don't pass me in their flow
You don't always remember me with your thoughts anymore.
'Cause if they did, I wouldn't be out alone
If you ever still think about me, then I would not be lonely and still confined to the same old memories.
Baby it's a long way down
Traveling to discover who you are now is a long and hard journey.
Baby let your feelings show
Please express what you feel, let me know the truth.
It's all I need from you to let go
Your honesty is all I need to let go of the past and move forward.
'Cause baby, I can't stay this low
Being stuck is not something I want to face.
And there's so much I need to know
I want to know about the life that you have lived without me.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Paul Hayden Desser
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind