One of the most beautiful songs of 2013 is “The Sea & the Shore,” written by Amy Speace and Robby Hecht. On the album How to Sleep in a Stormy Boat (2013), Speace performs the song with John Fullbright, who we had previously featured covering Steve Earle’s “Me and the Eagle.”
“The Sea & the Shore” recounts a conversation between the water and the land, although of course it is about more than that. The verses open with the Sea and the Shore exchanging verses, with the Shore reminding the Sea it had left and the Sea reminding the Shore of the promise to return. The song mirrors a breakup between a man and a woman, using beautiful imagery. As things happen in the human world, the song ends in heartbreak.
So the Sea took one last look and turned away,
And the Shore was more than strong enough to stay;
And castles melted back into the sand;
Driftwood drifted up onto the land;
Rocks rose up proud in shinny skin;
Shells began their gossiping again.
On Fullbright’s website, he explains that the video was filmed on a “bitterly cold day in Nashville this past January.” I agree with him that it was worth it.
What do you think of “The Sea & the Shore”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)