Week 306: “Words” by Gregory Alan Isakov

gregoryalanisakov

A few months ago, I mentioned that although I didn’t have a list of top-ten favourite words, I might consider writing one.

Well, I’ve done my homework. Here it is:

BSOTW Fav Words

Making this list was harder than I expected, and I’m pretty sure that if I took another run at it tomorrow, I’d have a different result. Words are evocative, their meanings fluid, and our relationship with them changes daily.

That’s kind of what Gregory Alan Isakov captures in this wonderful track.

What makes this a beautiful song:

1. The slow, swaying 6/8 time signature makes me think of someone in a hammock, flipping through a dictionary.

2. The reverb on his voice makes me imagine him singing in an empty library.

3. When you write a song called “Words,” the pressure is on to write some good lyrics. Isakov delivers with a great last line: I’ll send you my words from the corners of my room. And though I write them by the light of day, please read them by the light of the moon.

Recommended listening activity:

Picking a new default font.

Buy it here.