"Tired" voice memo

The story behind my new song "Tired", and the original voice memo on my phone

Hello there. Just a few days ago on Friday, I released my newest single, “Tired”. Recorded, mixed and mastered right here in Memphis, it’s a song I’m very proud of and sincerely hope you all get a chance to listen to sometime soon! (I have to say I’m proud of every release…I can’t say I’m not proud of it right? That would be foolish. So it’s hard to take my word for the endorsement of MY song…and I understand that. However…this is certainly one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written and one of my favorite song productions of my catalog. I truly feel like it’s a huge step in a direction I’m excited to be going in)

I wrote this song with a close friend of mine in mind, who I had seen up close the effects of life getting to him over and over again, despite the fact that many of these tumultuous events weren’t much in his control. And broadening out a bit, I feel as though I’ve been seeing life hit my friends, loved ones, and surrounding communities a bit harder lately than usual…and the hits everyone seems to be taking has left a very tired energy. And I don’t just mean a tired that’s cured by a long sleep…it’s a deeper tired than that. I feel it, those around me feel it, and it’s something that even though it’s not frequently articulated, it’s something I feel very aware of.

It can be difficult to figure out where my place is in terms of the impact one human can have on the world. It can be difficult trying to figure out how to lift those up around you while also trying to preserve your own sanity and maintain clarity in your own path. But ultimately, it can be difficult to rationalize anything that is more important than being there in some capacity for those who have been there for you. And while I don’t always do a great job of that, this time I really wanted to make sure I was directing all of my creative efforts towards helping a friend in some small way, while also understanding that surely there are others (myself included) who have been feeling a similar way as he has been.

My goal is always to encourage conversation, to promote self-awareness, and to be an example of what it means to feel deeply in an increasingly numbing world.

I hope this song can address that tired feeling, can encourage the reflecting necessary to be on the road to curing it, and can even entice somebody else to be there for someone in their life who is feeling tired.

The lyrics to the song are below, the full version is out now on all streaming platforms, and for paid subscribers, the voice memo on my phone that I recorded right after finishing the song can be heard below as well.

If you’re a free subscriber or a stranger, and you enjoy this kind of dialogue and want to help me spread my message, I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month…it goes a very long way into helping my journey as a creative. I’m thankful for all of your support and I hope you enjoy “Tired”.

You look tired my friend
Endless the hours spent on something that you dread
Heavy eyes, blurred mind, empty bed
You look tired my friend

You look tired my friend
Coughing up smoke then back into the fire again
It never stops maybe you don't want it to end
But you look tired my friend

Is it all a dream lucidly in your head?
If it's all a dream
Death might wake you up again

You look tired my friend
I'm not trying to convince you to rest
Times not on your side but I am
Cause you look tired my friend

Is it all a dream lucidly in your head?
If it's all a dream
Death might wake you up again