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about
“Belltown” was inspired by a moment I had one night as I was transferring buses in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle. There was a woman in line ahead of me, eyes glued to her red high-heeled boots as she shuffled demurely onto the bus. She stood tall with broad shoulders, donning a long black dress and messy, dark hair that covered her downcast eyes. She carried with her a sense of deep longing to be invisible. It seemed to me a sense born out of necessity, as if she had been seen and been hurt and felt safe only in the background. She didn’t lift her eyes even once as she disappeared slowly into the back of the bus.
“Belltown” is the song we wrote for this woman. It is a song for her as she wakes up each morning and sees herself in the mirror, knowing that how she wishes to present to the outside world and how the world chooses to see her will never be the same. Yet even as she hides amongst the crowd, when she draws into herself, she has a rich and vibrant inner life. Her reality exists in her mind, the place in which she never has to doubt her body, her clothes, her mannerisms, or her very existence. At the end of the song, we find her realizing that her vitality is in her own hands, and that choosing to be more than the summation of others’ expectations is her ultimate power.
~~~
lyrics
Downtown
Eyes down
The secrets on the city bus
Don’t tell
She sees
Bodies
She’ll never have another one
Oh well
Does it show
Her smile on a silver plate
When it’s over
Her mind is still a safer place
Come home
Unknown
The pages in the magazine
Still shine
Oh yes
Black dress
She pours herself a different drink
Each night
And she goes
Places everybody knows
Can you find her
Hiding in the afterglow
Wear a pretty little smile
Make believe
Dolls are fun for just a while
Set her free
She might be the one she really needs
credits
released November 8, 2019
Recorded/mixed by Nich Wilbur at Anacortes Unknown Studio