I can hear your thoughts- I swear I can- Of the things you want to do
Little things like lean to touch my hand – maybe hold it too.
I can feel you tug at my belt, to pull me closer in
I can feel your arms around my waist, your whisper on my skin
But so many eyes are staring above crooked little smiles
Like they’ve never seen two people who walked down a rainbow aisle
I know of a place where we can be free- Oh, kisses on blankets by the sea.
Cotton candy clouds dangle from a periwinkle sky
The ferry bounces on a sequin sea toward the rainbow side
Where we will watch the queens dance around a pool that smells like bleach
and I will write our names inside a heart where the ocean meets the beach
Long after the last grain of sand goes down the shower drain
and winter brings a policy of icy and dark change…
I’ll dream of a place where we can be free- oh kisses on blankets by the sea X 2
Bridge: It’s so easy for most people to love, just to be
No bloody nose, no broken ribs no fractured dignity
His dress is gold, his voice is sweet, his lashes glittery
it’s so easy for most people to love, just to be
Gin & tonic, your perfume, a pool that smells like bleach
I’ll write our names inside a heart where ocean meets the beach
I know of a place where we can be free- oh, kisses on blankets by the sea x2
Oh kisses on blankets by the…blankets by the…blankets by the sea.
I played this out the other night when my friend Dave asked if I’d like to play a couple of songs at his show. In the middle of performing, I realized I never posted it. It took about a year to write, and I finished it about a month ago. Duh. I’ve been caught up in producing & composing the other instruments, which is taking longer than I hoped. Heck, I posted my last two quickly written numbers “If You Think You’re Going” and “Mas Caliente Que El Sol” before composing & production were even molecules of seeds barely touching the soil of my brain.
This song is very gay. It’s about Cherry Grove, Fire Island. If you’ve never been, it’s a beachy summer resort island with predominately gay people, tons of drag shows, seaside bars and no cars. That’s right, no cars. The only way to get there is by ferry or boat and it has a very charming rural ocean feel.
Normally, I must admit, I don’t feel particularly “out” or “prideful”. I kind of forget I’m any different than anyone else. My friends and family seem to forget, too. But now and again, I am reminded…whether it’s a strange look when I’d touch my wife’s back as we’d walk out of a restaurant…or that drunk crew who shouted “homo” and threatened me with physical harm as I tried to sing a song about a dying relative. Also, I hear stories from friends who were beaten so badly they were hospitalized. At best, being myself can be awkward in many situations. But it also can be dangerous, and this danger has been more palpable in this emboldened climate of outright prejudice.
Well, it’s all in the lyrics so I’m probably over explaining.
What’s not in the lyrics is that early feedback on the song after I had a 1st verse and chorus was that “I was stuck in the 90’s”. I thought what if….what if….I was a young person…a millenial…with the exact same song…would I then be merely “influenced by music of the 90’s” and not “stuck in the 90’s”. Anyway, I’m elated that the bridge and last verse FINALLY came to me and it is hella fun to play live.
I hope you enjoy this raw track.