LYRICS
Tell me somethin’ like why the grass always is greener
On the far side of the mountain where the sun seems to shine
Hanging in the avenue, your street shoes get a bit dirty
When you walk...the line
When you walk...the line
They say you’ve got it all, but you’ve really got nothin’
Unless your pockets can be empty but your heart can still be full
Well I’ve learned a thing or two, and I know now: I’ll keep on learning
Yeah I...will keep on learning you
Yeah I...will keep on learning you
The winter solstice won’t keep us in the dark...ness when
Tomorrow light will find a way to get back to us / and / fire will return to the sky
We’ll glide closer to the horizon, it’s our destiny
Our expectation will carry us
If there ever was a moment that could bring us to our knees
I believe that it would be the time I really saw you
Well, I’ve learned a thing or two and I know now: I'll keep on learnin’
Yeah I...will keep on learning you
The winter solstice won’t keep us in the dark...ness when
Tomorrow light will find a way to get back to us / and / fire will return to the sky
We’ll glide closer to the horizon, it’s our destiny
Our expectation will carry us….home / oh / oooooh
BEHIND THE SONG
I wrote "Solstice" on Christmas Eve two years ago (2019), after a joyful celebration with my family. Heart full to the brim and a smile on my face, I intended to fall asleep but my guitar was laying across my bed, so I picked it up and started experimenting with a new picking pattern. I didn't put that guitar down until 2:40am, after composing the first two verses and chorus of this song. I didn't want to stop writing, but I needed to sleep--I woke Christmas morning excited to finish it!
"Solstice" isn't exactly a Christmas carol, but I was definitely inspired by some Christmas cheer! Did you know that the early Christians chose to celebrate Christ's birth on a day that was already marked as a Pagan Festival of Lights? The celebration was traditionally held on the Winter Solstice, the longest and darkest night of the year. Christians chose to "baptize" the holiday, recognizing the goodness in the occasion and making it even more meaningful.
Choosing the Festival of Lights to celebrate the birthday of Christ goes along with John 1:5 in scripture, which talks about the Light (Jesus) entering the world:
"The light shines in the darkness and the
darkness has not overcome it."
Celebrating Christ's birth on the longest, darkest night of the year, then, is a beautiful analogy for how Christ enters into the midst of our longest, darkest seasons of life and brings His light. The light shines in our darkness and the darkness has not overcome it!
Reflecting on this, I wrote the Chorus: "The winter solstice won't keep us in the darkness when tomorrow [Christmas] Light [Jesus] will find a way to get back to us, and fire will return to the sky..." With that line and much of the first two verses, I empathized with the Old Testament believers who were "in the darkness," clinging to hope for the coming Messiah (as well as my own anticipation of Christmas morning). In addition, the words "fire will return to the sky" are a recognition of God's glory and splendor causing the darkness to flee--much like the sun, which begins to reign over the earth more and more every day following the winter solstice!
As I scribbled in my notes when I composed the song:
"Solstice = the darkest day of the year but that means tomorrow (day after solstice)
we'll immediately be in the upswing, days stretching longer and longer."
The final phrase of the Chorus points toward our goal of heaven: "We'll glide closer to the horizon, it's our destiny! Our expectation will carry us (home)."
One more thing I'd like to share with you about my lyrics: In verse 4, all the energetic instrumentation is stripped away to reveal a celestial moment of pure awe. This is where I imagine the shepherds and wise men falling to their knees before baby Jesus in the manger-—and in my own life, gentle moments of encounter with the Lord. And His greatness is so unfathomable, we will never cease learning our Beloved. (As in many of my songs, the lyrics can also be applied to human relationships which, in their perfect state, ultimately directs us to the love of God).
I hope you enjoy Solstice--even though the Christmas season has passed, the reality that we are living in the Light is timeless! As the Spring sun begins to thaw the earth, we experience an even more tangible time of encountering the light, letting it warm us and enliven our spirits. I pray you are able to live fully alive in the joy you are created for--and that you can dance to this song as you enjoy that beautiful sunshine!
Thank you for streaming & supporting my music!
- Aly Aleigha
PERSONAL GROWTH
"Solstice" is the first song I've ever recorded completely from home (circumstances inspired by social distancing restrictions)--vocals recorded in my closet, everything else done either on my laptop or virtually with my audio engineer & the other instrumentalists. I loved the process of recording from home; I learned so much about the pre-mixing stage, stretching my own abilities to work with the equipment necessary to make it all happen. In the past, I have had a vision for my music and struggled to convey it to the band / audio engineer. Now, I'm capable of using midi (fake instrument sounds that I can create using a small keyboard) to lay down the exact parts I want to hear, then I email that demo to the instrumentalists in the studio and they record the same part I created, but with real instruments. And some of the sounds you hear in the song are my midi parts that were just too cool not to keep in the real thing--like the ethereal soundscapes & electric guitar sound! It's really fun to see how each project I work on stretches me so I can be even more creative than the last one--I'm so excited to see how I will continue to grow as an artist, with your support and God's blessings!