Preview of new Brian Thomas song, Yours

The weather where I live has a tendency to change for the worse somewhere near the end of
September. Then, it's possible that we won't see a hint of blue sky for a couple of months.
Rain in Southwestern BC is a way of life - we just learn to deal with it, as it drizzles for
weeks at a time, rarely really turning to a downpour, but always just enough to get you wet
if you venture outside. Every once in a while though, the passive, constant drizzle decides
to gather up and let loose everything it has on us all at once. The wind picks up, the drizzle
becomes a deluge, and every leaf that has decided to remain clinging to its comfortable
home on a branch loses all control and must find a new home on the ground somewhere
nearby.

I remember the storm of 2007 particularly clearly. My daughter Lily was about seven
months old, and we had just moved into a new home. It was late in the night when my wife
and I heard Lily crying in her room. I got the nudge to go get her, and I dutifully stumbled
out of bed and into her room. In my hazy, half-sleeping state, I could still tell what it was
that was bothering her. A raging storm was going on outside, with rain splattering against
the windows, and the wind whistling through the cracks. The curtains were even moving,
waving toward me as each fresh gust hit the glass and slid through the tiny openings it
could find. Lily couldn't sleep like this.

So I picked her up and rocked her for a few minutes, then sat down in the armchair we have
in her room, holding her and whispering to her. She fell asleep, though her sleep was
restless.

I remained awake.

As I sat there, eyes closed, mind awake, I began to write the song, "Yours." The lyrics took a
few hours to compose, but the melody and feel of the song was clear very early on. I
continued to go over the lyrics again and again so I wouldn't forget them. This is probably
the first song I ever wrote in this way - without an instrument at my fingertips, or a pen and
paper to jot down my ideas. All I had was my baby daughter for inspiration, softly
breathing against my chest, stirring when the wind picked up, but finding peace with her
daddy holding her.

By the time morning rolled around, eyes watery from lack of sleep, I had five verses and a
chorus ready to find a pen to write down. The leaves on the trees were all gone, and the
clouds had decided they'd had enough of this town and had parted to reveal a bright blue
sky. All the branches glistened with rain drops. The storm had passed. A verse was deleted,
the chorus was adjusted, and a bridge was added, but the spirit of the song is still intact.
Lily is now two and a half, and the third verse of the song is no longer true - she now does
"have the words". When I begin to play this song, she recognizes it instantly. "That's my
song," she says with a smile. "Yes," I think. "It's yours."

Click here to preview other songs from Brian's new album.