A Song About Covid-19

August 13, 2020 Halley Elwell

I didn’t mean to write a song about the pandemic. I was writing to the theme of “New Beginnings” which in the world of licensing for tv and ads, is a very popular theme. But sometimes I have to prioritize what appears regardless of the original intention. In a way this song is about new beginnings. It’s called, “Some Kind of New Life.” As a creative, I’m watching my industry shut down. In this death, I see a lot of opportunity to rebuild in a more cohesive, fair, and inclusive way. I wanted to imagine what that could be like. My cousin Nora and I have been kicking this back and forth between Cleveland and Boston for the last few months and finally got an opportunity to play it together this weekend. Check it out!

https://youtu.be/2ZdobttI140

Lyrics are below:

The cupboards are empty,
now you’ve gotta ask for help
when you’ve been doing it yourself
for so long.

The bread and circus
they may scatter you some crumbs,
but where are they next month
and the month after that?

I’m trying to change the way I see this…
opportunity in a crisis?

When no one’s allowed on the ground,
is it finally okay to leave your head in the clouds?
I’ll meet you up there, way up high,
Let’s begin to imagine
We’ve got to imagine
I need to imagine
Some kind of new life…

Is it really so random, these tragedies?
how long we gonna suspend our disbelief?
What’s your preference, what’s your lens?
Are we doomed, or is this where we begin?

I’m trying to change the way I see this…
opportunity in a crisis?

Do we really want to go back to the way it was?
Too easy to ignore who’s holding us up

I’m trying to change the way I see this…
opportunity in a crisis?