FAWM 2024 - Demos

Liner Notes:
This is my first song for the month.  I loved this skirmish prompt from  and Liz's take on it resonated with me deeply. (FYI, a "Skirmish" is a group songwriting sprint. A time is announced, a prompt given, and then everyone has 1 HOUR to write a song.)

Liz says: I’m so grateful that Tara brought her beautiful music and insightful sensibility to create this moving gorgeous song from lyrics I quickly wrote for a skirmish. Her tweaks and nuanced delivery elevated the poignancy I was trying to convey.

Lyrics
If That Were To Happen 
©️Liz Petty and Tara Craig 2024 

C 
when I dream about the future 
I dream about us 
about growing old together 
with deep lasting love…. 
but then I wake up and wonder 
if that will be enough 
it’s not you it's the future 
that I can't trust… 

V1 
maybe I’ll grow more hair 
on my chin than my head 
if that were to happen 
would you still love me then? 

maybe I’ll forget that 
you were ever my wife 
if that were to happen 
what would become of our life? 

PC 
maybe oh maybe 
we were meant to be 
but baby oh baby 
that’s not up to me 

C 
when I dream about the future 
I dream about us 
about growing old together 
with deep lasting love…. 
but then I wake up and wonder 
if that will be enough 
it’s not you it's the future 
that I don't trust… 

V1 
maybe I’ll stumble 
into the depths of despair 
if that were to happen 
would you ever find me there? 

maybe I’ll see you out 
in another’s arms 
if that were to happen 
would I live without warmth? 

PC 
maybe oh maybe 
we were meant to be 
but baby oh baby 
that’s not up to me 

C 
when I dream about the future 
I dream about us 
about growing old together 
with deep lasting love…. 
but then I wake up and wonder 
if love will be enough 
it’s not you it's future 
that I don't trust… 

B 
maybe we’ll grow old together 
with deep and lasting love 
but even if that doesn’t happen 
 I’ll know this love was enough 

  OUTRO 
 oh even if that doesn’t happen   
I know this love was enough 
I know this was enough

The Future - FAWM 2024 demo

A reminder to get out of my head, have fun and play!

Skirmish prompt: Play

(A "Skirmish" is a group songwriting sprint. A time is announced, a prompt given, and then everyone has 1 HOUR to write a song.)

Get Outta Your Way - FAWM 2024 demo

TW: sexual assault, violence 

Liz's original liner notes: 
I saw the forum thread “give me a title” and ran with a title I just saw by @miltz as it made me a remember the dark and traumatic night of my high school graduation party…. Lots of truth to the story but the river name has been changed and no one died. There is a Killsnake River in Wisconsin. 


Tara's notes: I almost didn't write for these lyrics because the subject matter felt too heavy. Then I realized that's exactly why I needed to write. Stories like this should not be carried alone. 

Killsnake River
©️Liz Petty and Tara Craig 2024

borrowed kisses in a stolen car 
on the bank of the Killsnake River 
as cold rain was pouring down 
ominous clouds grew thicker 

stolen pistol on a borrowed breast 
on the bank of the Killsnake River 
as his body pressed hard against her 
he ripped open her zipper 

borrowed hours in a stolen night 
on the bank of the Killsnake River 
as she struggled he bit her deep 
she cried with fear and shivered 

stolen chances on the borrowed land 
on the bank of the Killsnake River 
as the car rolled through mud when 
she pushed the clutch and shifter 

borrowed dangers of a stolen time 
on the bank of the Killsnake River 
as the car plunged in the water 
she was the only strong swimmer

Killsnake River - FAWM 2024 demo

This is a 30min write based on the prompt: The Missing Socks Lament". I had so much fun with this one.  I was literally laughing out loud while writing it.  Hope you enjoy this one.

Anythings, Nothings and Underthings
©️Tara Craig 2024

He came to,  didn’t know where he was
It smelled like forgotten things
He stumbled to his foot 
And got his bearings 
He was in the  land of anythings, nothing’s and underthings 

He was in the  land of anythings, nothing’s and underthings 

Where few have gone and fewer still returned
Needless to say he was extremely concerned 
He checked his seams which promptly confirmed
His world as he knew was completely upturned

He was in the  land of anythings, nothing’s and underthings  

He cried aloud, “why this torment, 
Has mine not been a knit well spent? 
Without me my pair has no choice but reinvent”
This is the missing socks lament

He was in the  land of anythings, nothing’s and underthings

Anythings, Nothings, And Underthings -  FAWM 2024 demo

The prompt for this write was "out of the gutter". The first thing I thought of when I heard the prompt was something pulling peanut butter out of a rain gutter. What could that something be? Big Foot or Sasquatch of course! I I started brainstorming the story I realized I should do some research on Big Foot sightings. I came across an interview with a guy who claims to have seen Sasquatch in 2014 in Big Thicket National Park in Texas. The details about Sasquatch in the song are based on his descriptions, except I made the thing a little taller. I based the chorus on this quote, "And then when this thing walked into view, it obviously didn’t look like anybody I knew. And so it kind of threw me for a loop."

Here's a link to the article if anyone is interested: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/what-does-bigfoot-sound-like-take-a-listen/

Lyrics
A Strange Sorta Thing to Explain

On a dark soggy day in the pacific northwest
I was working on a jigsaw puzzle
The fire was crackling, reality tv was on
I was cozy in my forest cabin

When suddenly I heard all kinds of grunts, growls, huffs and barks,
I jumped off the couch startled
From the window I saw something moving down in the creek
Something was walking towards the clearing,

When this thing walked into view,
It didn’t look like anybody I knew
This thing kind of threw me for a loop
It’s a strange sorta thing to explain
Yeah It’s a strange sorta thing to explain

It was lanky and probably eight and half to nine feet tall
Its chest and face were black like an olive
The rest of it was a reddish brown
It looked like some kind of primate

It moved with ease,
Like a person strolling though a park
Oh so casually
It seemed to glide
As it made all kinds of grunts, growls, huffs and barks,
I held my breath silently

When this thing walked into view
It didn’t look like anybody I knew
This thing kind of threw me for a loop
It’s a strange sorta thing to explain
It’s a strange sorta thing to explain

I sat frozen in fear
My eyes glued to the window
The thing leisurely shuffled onto my back deck
What really gets me is what happened next

it reached up it’s hairy arm,
Felt around and pulled something
out of the rain gutter
It was a huge gooey handful of that yummy stuff
We call peanut butter

It smiled in delight,
Then took a great big bite
then another and another
Then carefully the thing
licked it’s fingers clean
And ran back into the forest

When this thing walked into view
It didn’t look like anybody I knew
This thing kind of threw me for a loop
It’s a strange sorta thing to explain
It’s a strange sorta thing to explain
It’s a strange sorta thing to explain

A Strange Sorta Thing To Explain - FAWM 2024 Demo

Christoper and I were paired up for the Random Collaboration challenge.  This is my first time working with Christoper and I feel really happy with the result. 

Lyrics by Christopher Castle
Music and performance by Tara Craig 

Lyrics
ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

V1.
When leaves are blown off the tree
Some float down the road together
Others are set free
And that's me , that's me

CHORUS
I'm on the road less travelled
I don't follow the herd
You have to go your own way
To have an opinion and say
On the road less travelled
You have the last word

V2.
To be the lead in your play
You show all those folk you mean it
But that comes with pain
I'm okay , okay

Repeat chorus

Bridge
The more I stand out
The more I fit in
When I wanna go out dancing
You're not gonna keep me in

Repeat Chorus

Road Less Traveled - FAWM 2024 Demo

“When you see her live there's this amazing sensation that her voice is the only instrument you need to hear, sort of now... or ever.”
— Charlie Cheney

“One of the most vibrant and pensive songwriters emerging”
— Richard May of the Songwriter's TV Series

Tara Craig captivates audiences with a huge voice that is equal parts soulful and vulnerable. Her songs drip with imagery and are delivered with palpable emotional intensity.  Her immersive, vocally-driven, indie-folk-pop songs have the ability to give a voice to the unspoken places within the heart.  

Tara Craig earned her musical chops in the "Live Music Capital of the World", Austin TX.  In 2010, she was awarded, Austin's "Best Female Musician".   

Throughout her career, Tara has played hundreds of shows in a wide variety of venues and she continues to hone her craft. Whether in a crowded bar backed by a full band or on the streets of a sleepy beach town, the strength and vulnerability Tara shares through her music resonate.