Growing My Shadow
It's about mental health. A woman is in front of a mirror making up her face but there's a presence she can 'see' over her shoulder in the reflection. It could be her own psyche, it could be her own hopes and fears, it could be a daughter suffering under the expectations of a mother, it could be a mother trying to break the restraints of her daughter. You choose.
As she's making up her face, does it help provide a shield, a protection as she goes to face the world outside or does it trap her into an identity, encase her in a frame?
As I wrote the words to this song, I had Mary's voice in my mind, so I'm really pleased she's singing it.
The final vocal and arrangement, gives the song a slightly more optimistic feel than I had in mind when I wrote it, which I think gives it a better balance. Is she now creating a more positive face to show the world? You choose.
That's the joy of collaborative work. Sometimes, someone else brings an extra angle to the piece that you didn't see yourself at the time.
Michael MacNeill
lyrics
GROWING MY SHADOW
SKAITH/JEFFRIES/MACNEILL
As I put on the lipstick on,
I see your face
Gathering behind me
Determining my place
Forming the focus for the day
For my day
As I shape my brows
To a mild surprise
A questioning arch
Over dancing eyes
I catch a corner, a hint of light
A fractured display
Growing my shadow, painted day after day
Reflections from you
Deflections from me
Growing my shadow, painted day after day
I’m growing my shadow
A portrait, a frame
As I add rose to my cheeks
Colouring a ghost
I see a tear streak
Ribbons of words I cannot say
As is my way
Darkening lashes reflecting the light
Blockaded in flashes, they flicker for flight
Growing my shadow, painted day after day
I’m growing my shadow
A portrait, a frame
I’m growing my shadow
Face made for the day
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