DAy 7:
Sandcastles
“No one’s gonna swoop in and save you, you’ve gotta let yourself feel alright”
(Wash Away)
Two things are clear from looking at my childhood photos/kid art: I was born both an existential thinker and a boogie board baby. Spending most of early childhood in beach towns (San Diego at birth, then Corpus Christi, TX), I’ve always felt a connection to the water, even if once I moved to Arlington when I was 9, I was no longer near the ocean. (I’m now near Coney <3). This song was a place to put a lot of my heavier thoughts on what social media’s doing to us, shrouded in the warm, joyous blanket of Tejano music. During the recording process, Davíd Garza and I quickly bonded over our Tejano roots. He plays a lot on the song including the accordion parts, and I remember him saying it sounded like the music he heard as a kid. I am very proud of both the Mexicana and Texan aspects of myself, and cherish my memories of being a little kid in Corpus.
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Going to the beach on Padre Island and getting snow cones at La Paleteria. I remember going to see the beautiful Folklorico dancers in their colorful dresses at the annual festival, and performing as a tiny ballerina at the Selena (Quintanilla) Auditorium. It always felt like summer all the time. With the song, I hearken back to the opposite of the curtains drawn, doom–scrolling reality of adulthood in a disconnected world; being a tan, scrawny, energetic kid running around and staying close to the earth and connected to the body.
The Acoustic Version
Found nowhere else but here. An acoustic version, performed specially for you.
Studio BTS
Here’s today’s bit of a behind the scenes from the recording sessions at Plyrz Studios.
“Sandcastles (Wash Away)”
Everybody wanna live in California
Everybody wanna live by the water
Everybody wanna live forever
See their faces in their sons and daughters
Everybody’s got shells in their pockets
Everybody needs someone to talk to
Everybody’s gonna wash away, someday
Baby, even me and you
What do you do when you get lonely
And wanna push the feeling farther down the line?
You can stifle your needs, and tighten your belt
You can envy someone’s qualities, then take em for yourself
You can project your problems onto everyone else
And push it all, push it all farther down the line
But this ain’t your nana’s world no more
We could be damned in a couple of years or so, whoa
And the days feel long, but life is short
You forget sometimes that you are not alone
This is what I know
Everybody wanna live in California
Everybody wanna live by the water
Everybody wanna live forever
See their faces in their sons and daughters
Everybody’s got shells in their pockets
Everybody needs someone to talk to
Everybody’s gonna wash away, someday
Baby, even me and you
What do you do when you get lonely
And wanna push the heartache farther down the line?
You can grab your pitchfork and join the angry mob
You can forage for people’s flaws like finding it’s your job
You can stake your self-worth in the fancy things you got
And push your heart, push your soul farther down the line
But this ain’t your nana’s world no more
We could be damned in a couple of years or so, whoa
When you break down on the bathroom floor
Don’t forget that you are not alone
This is what I know
Everybody wanna live in California
Everybody wanna live by the water
Everybody wanna live forever
See their faces in their sons and daughters
Everybody’s got shells in their pockets
Everybody needs someone to talk to
Everybody’s gonna wash away, someday
Baby, even me and you
And no one’s gonna swoop in and save you
You’ve gotta let yourself feel alright
There’ll never be enough to validate you
But whatever you need to tell yourself
To make it through the night
I hope you’re doing fine
I hope you’re doing fine
Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night
Whoa
Everybody wanna live in California (And no one’s gonna swoop in and save you)
Everybody wanna live by the water
Everybody wanna live forever (You’ve gotta let yourself feel alright)
See their faces in their sons and daughters
Everybody’s got shells in their pockets (There’ll never be enough to validate you)
Everybody needs someone to talk to
Everybody’s gonna wash away, someday (What do you tell yourself)
Baby, even me and you (To make it through the night)
Everybody wanna live in California (I hope you’re doing fine)
Everybody wanna live by the water
Everybody wanna live forever (I hope you’re doing fine, you forget sometimes)
See their faces in their sons and daughters
Everybody’s got shells in their pockets (That you are not alone)
Everybody needs someone to talk to (You are not alone)
Everybody’s gonna wash away, someday (You are not alone)
Baby, even me and you
Everybody wanna live in California (You are not alone)
Everybody wanna live by the water (You are not alone)
Everybody wanna live forever (You are not alone)
See their faces in their sons and daughters
Everybody’s got shells in their pockets (You are not alone)
Everybody needs someone to talk to (You are not alone)
Everybody’s gonna wash away, someday (You are not alone)
Baby, even me and you