Behind The Music
Lyrics + Stories behind our songs
SAME OLD WAR
Notes:
It had been 8 years since we wrote a song. We met because of music and we know songwriting will forever be a big part of our lives. We wrote these songs about our marriage, our experiences and about our journey so far as a man and a woman doing our best to pick up the pieces from a seemingly broken marriage and piece them back together to build something beautiful. We've poured our heart and soul into this project. The Same Old War marks our first self produced record. The songs are written and produced with the idea of being stripped back and allowing the listener to "see through" the tracks. Listen closely, close your eyes and enjoy something a bit different, something simple and something honest. This is just the start for us - an introduction back into songwriting and recording. We've got a lot left to pour into our music and we can not wait to share more. Thank you for listening and supporting our journey as musicians and songwriters. We hope you find something helpful inside these songs.
With gratitude,
Craig + Maddie Braun
1. Faith + Faults
Faith and faults and downplay all your sadness. You my dear carry too much weight. And on we go.
Dry your tears, darling won't you call me. Burry all your fears, darling won't you call me. And on we go.
Notes:
We had written and recorded an opening track for the record but something about it just didn't feel right. We stumbled upon this Faith + Faults song while we were all down with the flu and staying in a rental house in Chattanooga. We had spent the night in the hospital with our son, and for some reason this song just flew onto the paper one random morning. I remember playing the chords & writing the words in about 10 minutes. I called Maddie in, we sang it once and have loved it ever since.
2. Same Old War
It's been a long, hard day. But I can take a little more. Who's keeping score, let me sleep.
Hold your head up a little more, you're doing just fine. Who shot who, just another man - the same old war.
So throw your white flag up. Or unload your gun until you've had enough. Are we all still having fun.
Notes:
The same old war was written late in the summer of 2021 during a time when we were "in the trenches" so to speak. We were working incredibly long days and delivering food at night to make ends meet. Our bodies were beaten, our minds exhausted and this first line kept coming to my head over and over again. I finally sat down and found some chords that I felt good about and in a few months we had this song. The lyrics are nothing fancy but are some of my favorite I've written. Straight forward and very relatable to anyone with a heartbeat and a desire to work hard for what they want. We're all fighting the same things - just in different ways and at different times. It's the same old war that's been around for thousands of years and will continue long after we're gone.
3. Developing
Fall for me. I don't want to make mistake, darling I'm afraid and can't you see, I was not an honest man. And you understand. This is not all I have. I'm developing something better than I was before. You opened the door.
Fall for me. I don't want to make mistakes, darling I'm afraid of it. But let it be, heaven see's that I am yours. This is not all I have. I'm developing something greater than I was before.
Fall for me but I don't want to make mistakes. Can't you see that I don't want to make mistakes, I don't want to make mistakes.
This is not all I have. I'm developing something better than I was before. Fall for me but I don't want to make mistake, darlin I'm afraid.
Notes:
Developing is a hint of hope for us in a mostly emotional and dark collection of tracks that make up this project. We wrote the lyrics for this track together. My favorite part of this song is the repeating verse 1a and 1b. We sing nearly identical words and without paying attention, it's almost easy to miss the fact that we're repeating a verse. It's a great lead in for a song that's all about developing ourselves as individuals so we can be stronger together, for each-other and for our family.
This song also talks a lot about our mistakes we've made as a husband and wife and how they've haunted us in our early years together. It's hard to come back from big mistakes and harmful words said to a loved one, but it's also incredible easy to open the door and work together to lay that firm foundation needed to build and grow from where you're at.
This song was written over the course of about 6 months. The guitar came first and the lyrics (as you can hear) following the acoustic to lead the song in. We met because of music and songwriting is one of the things that's kept us together. I love that the songs leads in with some guitar, and we follow along vocally.
4. Death Row
Ball and a chain dragging in the dirt again. God send the rain - fill me up or drown me in. Find cover now, better go and shut the door. Time's running out, what the hell you waiting for.
May you watch from afar as I walk slow to death row. Brother in your heart, where you wanted more I know. There's something more here, something more to all of this. We're all the same here, sheltered in our suffering.
Notes:
This song took over a year to write. It's about God, our Faith, our relationships, our lack of accountability at times and boy was this one hard to pull out. The original song sounded quite a bit different than the recorded version. Switching to electric guitar for the lead and adding in some swells / bass in the gaps really made us love this song. We've written probably 50 songs during the last few years to put these 6 together and this one almost didn't make the cut. It's dark, we're not dark people - but we feel like it tells an important part of our story and ultimately we want to share that with everyone. After all, there's no power in stories left untold.
5. Grey June
Grey June, Monsoon, We Move. My faults, your faults, assume. Less thought, you choose, re-prove. I have one thing to do. And when the time comes no doubt we'll take the long way around.
And I may hold your hand - I fall you carry me. As I become a man - You fall I carry you. And I may have my doubts - I sing you play the tune. Give the burden sound - Fragile, let me break it. And when the time comes, no doubt we'll take the long way around.
Fall over all the options and bring forth a word of truth. I'm over almost everything but I don't want to forfeit. Breathe the air you choose.
Notes:
This is our story. It was written at Arrow studios in Phoenix while we were on a break form tracking one of the other songs. Our engineer had taken our son out for some time playing at the park while Maddie and I caught our breath and out of nowhere this song came roaring in. The record needed it - something a bit experimental and on the spot. Our family is always very willing to make big changes quickly and "take a jump" in life. When the gang got back from the park we jumped into this song and played with a lot of different sounds / lyrics. Into the night we went and around about 3am we wrapped this thing up. From concept, to complete in about 8 hours. Fitting for our lives and all the random spur of the moment experiences we live for. When everyone is turning right, we like to go left.
6. The Distance
If I never let go, I couldn't have loved you. I know my fortune's gone, my riches my jewels my gold. Maybe the cold came north to bury me further in hope. Maybe my shadow left, I'm walking the long way home.
And the distance is easier to see than the depth. But I'm here darlin so come won't you hold your breathe to keep us from drowning.
And is it really time now to come closer than we were before when we were touching. I won't tell you that this will be fun - it probably will hurt my love, we'll do it for them.
I give you my heart. I'm falling apart - call a hero, and I'll let go. Caught in the middle of everything, ya it'll be alright.
Notes:
In April of 2020 I (Craig) decided it might be time to start writing music again. Maddie and Leo were in the backyard playing and I pulled out the keyboard In my office, set it up facing a window looking out into the yard. It had been 8 years since we wrote anything but we've always known music would come back eventually. I sat down, turned the keyboard on and wrote this song in about an hour. I watched Maddie and Leo play outside and I was filled with gratitude and joy. We had already been through a lot as a family and we had no idea what was on the horizon but at that moment I was able to play and sing what I felt and out came The Distance.
So often people care about the way things look. What people can see is how we're judged. The most important work you'll ever do is the work deep down inside your soul that no one will ever see. Depth over Distance any day. This song is very special to us, Craig played keys, guitar, bass, and sang / Maddie did all the vocal arrangements and even our 6 year old son, Leo played the electric guitar during the intro of this song. It's the song that inspired us to write again and it's the song that wraps up our first record and leads the way for the next one.