Song of the Day: Coultrain “Balancing Act”

I’ve made it a priority recently to start filling in all the holes of my Coultrain discography, as he is one of the most intriguing indie soul voices in my music collection. Out of the multiple solo projects he’s released, guest appearances, and his work with Hawthorne Headhunters, it’s this tune first released on a 2010 Record Breakin’ 45 that I go back to over and over.

“Balancing Act” delights in multiple ways, with producer I,Ced’s bassline dancing over the song’s 6/8 meter to the shuffling layers of claps and hand percussion. Then there’s the voice, which as Guru notes is everything (mostly). I’m almost always drawn to sound over words, but the lyrics are so striking they’re worth quoting in whole below.

Quiet places, silent nights
took me 2 the very end of doubt & despair
Wasn’t till I kissed a gypsy
that I awoke from this walking nightmare
& pondering how to see things how they really are & will be
& as her dress dropped 2 the floor, this is what she told me…
“Ur enemies are invisible
Some questions are unanswerable
U seem to let ur worries take a toll,
now pieces of u are scattered everywhere
But what really matters is that u see its all in tune
& as sure as ur Goldmund, you’re Narcissus too
At least sex is better than war”
I laughed and said “afterwards, let’s smoke some more”

This ain’t tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
But rather, a balancing act

She said, “its either limitations or excess,
& spending all your birthdays alone
zig-zagging through the streets,
Don’t u know laughter is the antidote?”
I’m wondering how could she know me so well & still like me?
Cuz when beliefs tie you down u take everything to extremes
“U cannot please everyone
This world can be stranger than fiction
Trust me, darling – ur not the only one
Running fro & to looking for truth
Or lose,
but don’t let it be your doom
Cuz as sure as ur Dionysian, ur Apollonian too
At least sex is better than war”

…tongue in cheek,
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
This ain’t the same tongue in cheek
But rather, a balancing act.

– transcription via Fresh Selects

Song of the Day: Coultrain “Balancing Act”