Max Chaplin Songwriting Portfolio
holding on too - collaboration between Jenna Rae and Max Chaplin
lyrics
verse 1
Knife in hand
You won’t understand
It’s not you
We’ve seen this road
You know we’ve
been here before
We’ve built these walls
Between us, what can we do
We’ve seen the stars
Through the cracks in the roof
Pre-chorus 1
It’s all different now
From when we were kids
In our small town
When we played pretend
With the lights out
and the candles dim
You said we would always win
Chorus:
What are we holding onto
You looked at me as the darkness took you
I met your eyes, and I swore we both knew
That you were always more than
what we’ve been through
verse 2
Drop the knife
I’ll carry your weight on my back
If we fall
Remember all that we had
Pre-chorus 2
Tired and worn
But eyes unchanged
Your scarred hands
Still feel the same
You can run from me
But I know your ways
We’ve lost the path, but we won’t stray
Chorus
bridge
Even darkness must pass
A new day will come
Can we make it last
If I lose my sight
Would you help me see
Can we make it out, do you still believe
Chorus
Prompt: Rewrite the Scene - choose one short scene or paragraph (film moment, poem, a story one of them tells, a news blurb)
We chose Sam’s monologue from the film Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, a scene in which Frodo begins turning on Sam, his childhood best friend, due to paranoia caused by possessing the ring. We received feedback to make the lyrics of the second pre-chorus different, to reflect the new perspective we have gained from the first chorus. Since the first pre-chorus was reflecting the ways in which things have changed, we decided the focus of the second pre-chorus should be centered around the idea that despite everything, their connection is still untainted.
There Was a Time - Max Chaplin
lyrics
verse 1
Fighting became the only way
We still remember how to talk
Screaming to drown out the silence
That reminds us of all that we forgot
And it all feels so familiar
The rabbit that found comfort in the snare
Numb to the noose around its neck
Running home and running out of air
Chorus
But there was a time
We haven’t always been this way
When you threw me on your shoulders
And promised you’d stay
There was a time
In all the stories that you read
Promised you would leave the light on
As you tucked me into bed
verse 2
Seated at the old dining table
Two strangers and a row of vacant chairs
Running through an empty conversation
Unable to understand your stare
And it all feels so familiar
Running back and knowing
That you’ve been here before
Too weak to ever leave for good
too scared to come knocking on your door
Chorus
But there was a time
We haven’t always been this way
When you threw me on your shoulders
And promised you’d stay
There was a time
In all the stories that you read
Promised you would leave the light on
As you tucked me into bed
I took inspiration from how Tyler, The Creator included short audio recordings of his mother through the album Chromakopia, giving an anchor to reality within all of his introspection. I wanted the message to not be that I am mad at the way things are, but miss how they used to be, and so I used old voicemails from my dad over the years, since that was the main way we communicated growing up. I received feedback that my old chorus was too “versey” and didn’t focus on the main emotion of the song. I rewrote the chorus to stand out more from the verses, and drive in the main message of missing the way things were.
(death by) duck bite - Max Chaplin
lyrics
Verse 1
You said heroes aren’t always
Who you think they are
You were acting so tough
I was calling your bluff
As you led me to your car
And I should have been stronger
But I couldn’t say no
I was weak at the knees
I was begging you please
To just let me go
Pre Chorus
Pretend to not remember
These words I stitched together
Wish I could forget
Chorus
Slicing with a blunt knife
Death by duck bite
Twisting your words til they sound like mine
Slipping in losing touch
You said come on baby loosen up
it’s only gonna hurt for a bit of time
Verse 2
You were standing on the edge
And looking in
I was calling your phone
You weren't answering
I hate that I thought
Things would be better now
Pretending not to know
What you did nine years ago
You can list facts and figures
With your finger on the trigger
But the bullet still shows
Pre-chorus
Chorus
Bridge:
Scrub my skin until it bleeds
Can’t seem to get you off
Glazing over open seems
And nights that I forgot
Ghosts of hands all over me
The moment I said stop
Trying to forget
Chorus
I workshopped this song with the class and received feedback to change up the chords in the verse to be more different from the chorus, and to add a bridge. I never write bridges, so it was definitely a challenge deciding where I wanted to go for that section. I decided that since the rest of the song is centered around the intersection of two very specific events, I would use the bridge to explore their aftermath or personal effect.