The Dagger

BrandonDudleyMusic

A murder ballad I wrote exploring themes of obsession and isolation through the eyes of a troubled person. It’s my first attempt at writing something like this. Hope you guys enjoy it for what it is.

The YouTube link I posted doesn’t seem to work. You can find the music at BrandonDudleyMusic on YouTube. My apologies for the inconvenience.


The Dagger

Naivety
is a cruel mister
I’m as blind as I can be
And I still miss her
How I long for my warm breath on her neck
Her fingers running through my hair as my mind resets

I fly away

Reach for her tender lips
and caress her jaw
Take her innocence in my arms
and rub the table raw

Then I awake

Solitude
is a warm gun
I seen her around
And knew she was the one
How I long for her name and for her hand
But there’s no way in God’s good grace I could ever be her man

I shy away

Is she everything I dream of
Or am I chasing a ghost
This hurts too damn bad to be love
And that’s what haunts the most

I pry away

Chivalry
has no home anymore
It was painful to see
As I held the door
How I long for her time and for a chance
Then she ran into his arms
The dagger in my plans

I drift away

What does he have that I don’t?
What does she see?
The daggers twisted right to the bone
And it will not let me be

I cry away

“Patience
is a bitter tree
But the fruit it bears can be sweet”
That’s what they say come what may
I’ll be fine
But her love just can’t be his if it can’t be mine

I fire away

Brought her to our favorite spot by the willowed creek
The same one we would frequent the dusk of every week
How I long to let her know where my heart lies
The trees could not hide my fear nor my
bloodshot eyes

I strike away

Ran at him blade in hand with a hunger for blood
Wrestled him to the earth in a bath of mud
Chaos had shown itself
Her caterwauling’s dread
He went left and I went right for the nape of his head

An avalanche of red


I only ever thought about what she could offer
The thought never crossed my mind
She’s someone’s daughter

I drag her to the water

Held her beneath the crest till her struggle stopped
Gave her all my best and brought her to the top
Sat there in a silent bay like a hound from a feast
In a twisted kind of way she looked at peace

And she flys away

Limerance
is a cruel mister
I ain’t been the same since
And I still miss her
How I long for that twine around my neck
Just keep the veil off my face so no one forgets

And we fly away

sidshovel

@BrandonDudleyMusic

Well done, I really enjoyed that, nice Gordon Lightfoot vibe.

A big fan of the story-telling song, especially something different like a murder.

Welcome to the forum and I hope to have the pleasure of more of your wonderful songs.

Thanks for posting, a pleasure to listen.

Sid

BrandonDudleyMusic

Thank you man. I’m glad you liked it. I put a lot of work into this one.

IronKnee

Hey there, Brandon... you have a nice steady rhythm, with some nice avenues explored.

Good stuff.

BrandonDudleyMusic

Thanks. I wanted to use symbolism to express internal and external pain. The dagger is more than just the murder weapon, it’s the internal pain the narrator feels although out the story leading up to the final act. It’s a broken mind projecting that internal pain onto a world that’s wronged him. At least in his mind he was wronged. The moral of this story is to forgive and let go, before obsession consumes you.

RainyDayMan

Welcome to the forum Brandon. Nice to have you with us!

Well this is a disturbing song! Sends a shiver down my spine, which hopefully it was meant to!

It's a long song, which is really only an issue if you have commercial aspirations, but it's worth asking yourself if it could be fully explored in less words. If so that might be tighter writing. But that's your call.

Held my attention, and felt suitably creepy!

BrandonDudleyMusic

@RainyDayMan Thanks! Yeah it's long winded but I honestly feel like the length is needed to tell the story I wanted to tell. I contemplated cutting the "Patience" verse for pacing but it needs it to set up the final act. It could be tightened up a bit. I'm glad you liked it, I spent a good amount of time on it.