Mastered. Yes!
pop
rock
acoustic
music
folk
singersongwriter
irish
Creative Commons license
Commercial uses of this track are NOT allowed
Adaptations of this track are NOT allowed to be shared
You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the artist
Story behind the song
It's called A Nation of One (or maybe No Common Trade.) I wrote it by combining some personal experiences and feelings with some "found dialog" on the 'net regarding the Global Nomad/Third Culture Kid experience.
Lyrics
Although accustomed as he was to the freedom of traveling
Over the ocean, miles in the air
Across the horizon, between home and home
Jesse felt neither here nor there.
He had a home for the summer and a home for the school year
And more than an ocean divided the two
Jesse made a success at separating himself
Never thinking that he'd want to choose
Chorus:
Between the shores
From which his two parents came
Jess grew up a trickster, he took everything lightly
And he chuckled his way through secondary school
It was his way of keeping the world at arm's distance
Underneath he was guarded, confused
Two places at once, Jesse couldn't see how to be
Stuck on the outside, A nation of one
Two many voices, the illusion of choices
Jesse took off to wander around
Chorus:
And Jesse swore
He'd take no common trade
Jesse succeeded with customs and creeds
He'd take on or shed friends like a coat that he wore
He'd blend in so well, that friends couldn't tell
Until Jesse didn't live there anymore
But love caught Jesse the way that it often does
He staggered himself, when he bought her a ring
She loved him sincerely bought told him forget about
That international thing
Chorus:
But Jesse'd sworn
He'd take no common trade
They moved to Manhattan to be close to the world
On the eve of September 2001
A trade high up amidst steel, glass, and space
It helped Jesse to feel settled down
Jesse joked he could see from the top of the tower
The coast of that country that beckoned him home
Limbo he recognized then as his legacy
Suspended in air between homes
What does it take for a man to feel settled down
Does self-understanding bring freedom and peace
Does the moment of death ensure an epiphany
Do only the lucky gain insight before release
Jesse doesn't live here anymore