Joy And Sorrow
Style: Alt pop / UK neo soul / contemporary singer songwriter Key: E minor Tempo: 84 BPM Structure: Intro - Verse 1 - Pre Chorus - Chorus - Verse 2 - Pre Chorus - Chorus - Bridge - Breakdown - Chorus - Outro Vocal Delivery: Female lead with full UK accent, intimate conversational verses, soulful but restrained choruses, light rasp on higher notes, subtle melisma and ad libs in final chorus, occasional almost-spoken phrases Instrumentation: Warm Hammond organ pads with slow rotary swirl, soft electric piano, laid back live drums with a slightly swung groove, round electric bass, clean electric guitar fills, light backing vocal stacks in chorus, gentle room reverb for an intimate, lived-in feel
Joy And Sorrow
Style: Alt pop / UK neo soul / contemporary singer songwriter Key: E minor Tempo: 84 BPM Structure: Intro - Verse 1 - Pre Chorus - Chorus - Verse 2 - Pre Chorus - Chorus - Bridge - Breakdown - Chorus - Outro Vocal Delivery: Female lead with full UK accent, intimate conversational verses, soulful but restrained choruses, light rasp on higher notes, subtle melisma and ad libs in final chorus, occasional almost-spoken phrases Instrumentation: Warm Hammond organ pads with slow rotary swirl, soft electric piano, laid back live drums with a slightly swung groove, round electric bass, clean electric guitar fills, light backing vocal stacks in chorus, gentle room reverb for an intimate, lived-in feel
Lyrics
Intro
Curtains breathing in and out
Kettle on, rain coming down
Verse 1
Got a good day sitting in my chest
Tapping like it wants to be let out, I guess
But I still check every corner of my mind
Waiting for the dark to come up from behind
I do not trust it when the room feels warm
Still halfway dressed for an incoming storm
Laughing with my shoulders tight
Eyes on the door like it might bite
Pre Chorus
Every time the sun comes through
I am scared of what it has got to prove
Chorus
Can I be happy without waiting for the pain
Can I dance in the kitchen when I know it might rain
If the joy and the sorrow live under one skin
Do I have to pick which one gets in
Maybe I am not broken when I laugh then cry
Maybe both of them are mine
Can I be happy without feeling like a fraud
Holding all my colours in the hands of one god
Verse 2
I have got bruises only I can see
Old little ghosts that still sit with me
They do not shout like they used to do
Just clear their throat when I feel brand new
I pour a drink that is only tea
Turn the music low till it sounds like me
Bare feet on a cold wood floor
I let a little calm inside the door
Pre Chorus
Every time my chest feels light
I still brace myself for a fight
Chorus
Can I be happy without waiting for the pain
Can I dance in the kitchen when I know it might rain
If the joy and the sorrow live under one skin
Do I have to pick which one gets in
Maybe I am not broken when I laugh then cry
Maybe both of them are mine
Can I be happy without feeling like a fraud
Holding all my colours in the hands of one god
Bridge
What if the sad part is not my enemy
Just a tired friend who sits beside my feet
What if the dark does not cancel out the light
They just share a little space in the same night
If I stop pretending I am only one thing
Could my cracked voice learn a fuller song to sing
Breakdown
Breathe in, name one gentle thing
Breathe out, feel my own weight sink
Both hands open, nothing to defend
Let the wrong and right parts blend
Chorus
Can I be happy without waiting for the pain
Can I dance in the kitchen when I know it might rain
If the joy and the sorrow live under one skin
I do not have to pick which one gets in
Maybe I am not broken when I laugh then cry
Maybe both of them are mine
I can be happy without feeling like a fraud
Living with my colours in the hands of one god
Outro
Curtains breathing in and out
Kettle on, rain easing down