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about

With this song, I kind of wanted to tell a story that explores the idea of how we touch more peoples' lives than we realize— that even if someone feels hopeless and isolated, there may be others who desperately want to connect with them, inhibited by social anxiety, but still caring.
The idea was to offer encouragement, both to those trying to reach out, and to those who aren't as alone as they might think.

It's not meant to be a romantic story- "he" and "she" are just used so that the two characters can have distinct, single-syllable pronouns.

The song also briefly touches on the way the nicest people can be the saddest on the inside— something I found years ago to be the case with a friend I admired very much. It brings up some interesting concepts to think about- how much of that kindness is just a result of low self-esteem? Should their tendency to put others first be admired when it's partially the result of a deep-seated self loathing? I wish I could have found a way to explore these concepts more in the song, but I think it would have been to scattered if I did that, even in the unlikely case that I could have found a way to fit all the lyrics in.

lyrics

Watching the colors fade to gray
He couldn’t take another day

He felt that his existence was a burden on the lives of everyone around him
Felt that they’d be better off if he could just disappear so that no one ever found him

Prone to observe and to listen
She saw something admirable in

His tendency to put others before himself and the kindness that he showed to strangers
His speed to empathy and understanding and his unwillingness toward anger

So scared to open her mouth
Something was blocking her speech
The thoughts and feelings were there
But words were out of her reach

She knew she needed a friend
But reaching out was so hard
To build connections that count
Her confidence was in shards

Resolved to exit the world
He formulated a plan
Turmoil overcame guilt
And he could no longer stand

The vicious cycle that fed
Itself continuously
Exhausted of treading water
In a boundaryless sea

She took a breath closed her eyes
Dug deep and found the courage
To put herself out on the line
To break her silence
To make a friend

She never knew that it would be
A turning point that set in motion
A sense of worth that would save his life
An understanding that he could not find alone

Someone who cared
Someone who cared

credits

from Cumulonimbus, released April 15, 2021

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Matthew Sandstrom

A human who loves making music.

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