Your combination of skill and sincerity is irresistible. I listened to this song weeks ago, but it’s sat in an open tab waiting for me to come up with a comment that felt good enough. It’s so easy for me to take sides and you make sure I recognize that there are living breathing and sometimes dying humans everywhere you look or look away. Thank you for that.

from the very first note, you've got me. i'm utterly entranced by the warmth of that sweet, sad nylon guitar. the chords and the way you're picking them are already making me feel like a poked bruise (i mean that in a good way, i promise). then there's the melody, the way it soars up into the third line when you hit the descending chords in the guitar then floats back down to quietly rest at the end of each verse. and more than anything, your voice singing it, dude. my god. i can feel every time you've ached in the past year and a half, and i'm right there beside you, feeling every time i've ached in the past year and a half.

i find more often than not that my favorite songs are ones that throw up a giant middle finger to any sort of structure, whether it's not having a chorus, or just saying whatever they need to say with little regard for some formula. there's a rawness to it, and it feels deeply human too.

the poetry here took my breath away, and it just kept happening. at the risk of just copy pasting the entire thing here, particular favorites were: "You'd rupture too if you'd found your prospects dead so many times And the world just watched you weep." (the choice of "rupture" in particular is viscerally evocative.)

i adore the double meaning of "Growing hurts." that's one of those little phrases you get upset about not having come up with yourself, lol

"Better to be burned than to burn and never know" i don't know if this is what you were referring to, but that line made me think of aaron bushnell. i was way past the point of already crying, but man if i didn't cry harder.

"Marble hallways don't mean this ain't a shantytown" don't know if i've seen the u.s. summed up any better than this in a song. masterful.

i'm running out of characters, but this song is something rare and special. i'm gonna bookmark it on soundcloud so i can go back and listen as many times as i need to once fawm has gone dark again.

thank you for writing this

These lyrics hold so much. Beautiful and powerful.

This is superb Casey. Sad and true, infuriatingly so! Your writing is really excellent. I listened and read the lyrics together, then I just read the lyrics and it reads like a poem as well as a song. Beautiful language and metaphor.

Again, superb vocals. This reminds me of James Taylor in his prime. The lyrics are clever and aren’t obviously about what you’ve explained in your liner notes it is about. They are my favourite kinds of lyrics. Such a great song and beautifully performed.

Your lyrics are so incisive and right! I’m so glad my friendship with Tanya brought me here. “ Can't build a shelter 'neath half measures or soothing tones But we know that talk is cheap” ouch!! And then your guitar playing is masterful and your voice lovely. Just incredible.

Not sure I can add much to all the nice compliments below...Love your guitar playing and vocals. Such a tender and poetic song. Very powerful...Wonderful art you've created...

These lyrics are poetic as hell! Your guitar playing and vocals are absolutely gorgeous. What a song!

hey man, beautiful playing and singing—and really impressive, poetic, lyricism :-) looking forward to following your work this month <3

Man, I love this. Tears in my eyes. I can't even pick a favorite line, the whole thing is just exquisite. And what a lovely voice and lovely guitar playing, too. This is going to be one of my favorites from this year, I know.

This is a really powerful performance of a super solid song. It feels raw and complete. A bit of a jason isbell feel. So well done.

Gorgeous vocals and guitar. Clear and evocative, love the tone on your guitar and the smoothness in your voice. Some amazing lines in this--marble hallways, better to be burned. Really excellent write!

Beautiful guitar work and vocals! Thank you for the emotion in this tune—part weariness, part strength, it’s heartening to feel solidarity with other people who are deeply disturbed by the world right now.

Beautiful guitar playing, beautiful song. It's an art to write about social justice without getting too preachy - you've got it in this song. Lovely piece.

Beautifully written and performed. Some lovely lines, "better to be burned than to burn and never know" feels very true to me while it's so easy for so many to pretend it's not happening, like anything that happens around the world isn't exactly what could happen to you.

I stopped by to listen to you after your kind comment on my song, and I'm glad I did. It's so easy to feel isolated and disheartened, yet so comforting and encouraging to be reminded there's good people everywhere in this together.

Very beautiful. I appreciate all the peaceful political songs that have been unearthing.

Talk about word and melodysmithing, my goodness. This song made my heart stand still for the first time in many, many weeks now. "Growing hurts and learning truths can deal you burning blows" is one of those lines that I don't know if I like more visually or aurally, and I'm glad I don't have to choose. What a piece of music.

Stunningly beautiful! I vote for keeping the boxy room sound - I think the acoustic one take perfectly captured the rawness of the lyric, and made me feel like I was listening in on your inner thoughts / worries. Also amazing lyric - the second stanza especially was an absolute standout… oh, and your vocals were pretty damn good too

Come on now!

Massive song, man. Well spoken the state of the moment of it all. Very righteous

This illustrates, for me, why the highest form of songwriting is the “singer-songwriter”. One person, one instrument and a multitude of things to say along with an induvidual way to say it…. THAT is the essence!

I had tears running down my cheeks towards the end and I can’t decide if it was because of the lyrics, the vocal delivery or the sense of atmosphere that acoustic guitar builds. This is magic!

i love your style. Great acoustic playing and really excellent vocals So much talent here. Really enjoyed your performance... impressed with the lyrics, so many wonderful metaphors. So true to the times.

Wow this is gut wrenchingly beautiful. Had to listen twice. Your words definitely resonate. And the guitar and vocals are lovely.

Woo hoo!!! So glad to get to hear songs from you again. This is gorgeous, and powerful. My favorite stanza is the "if they'd wear their silence like a crown" one -- was about to pick out specific lines, but the whole thing is perfect. And another favorite is "better to be burned than to burn and never know." So much great songwriting craft here. You use varying line lengths effectively, the melody is lovely, and this is the kind of song I'm going to want to listen to repeatedly to get all of its depth.

My god the lyrics are incredible here. I appreciate you writing about this, I think it's a far better alternative than going numb

Well, this is positively beautiful! This is one of those songs that quiets a busy pub as they sip their drinks and defer their conversations until you have finished because they know something special is happening! That Yamaha sounds amazing and your vocals are a lovely cross between Cat Stevens and my teacher at Old Town School of Folk Music! I love this!