Yesterday was Make Music Day and rather than play someone else’s song, I thought I’d revisit some old music of mine and rearrange it.
I chose a song from my 2012 album which I’d written 18 years ago. It was an interesting experience to read the lyrics penned by my younger self. I immediately thought ‘that’s not how I’d express that now’. Nevertheless, I avoided self-censorship. I left the lyrics as they were and arranged it for solo piano and voice. However, I changed the melody somewhat and laid back the tempo.
Those of you who’ve listened to my album ‘Keys to a Woman’s Heart’ will know the original, composed for acoustic guitar and voice, the mood is strikingly different. I guess this arrangement reflects the current time and place. Music is just that: organic and evolving.
I wanted to respect the words because that was my worldview then, and now I know more. As I’m working on new music this year, I felt it was fitting to revisit my earlier writing to appreciate how far I’ve come as a person and a musician.
There is a lot of uncertainty and chaos around us. I hope that these words help to bring you some inner peace, however fleeting. This is a song about courage. We all have doubts and fears and our ability to overcome them is the essence of this song. I hope you like this arrangement.
Conqueror – Copyright © 2002 Jennifer Trijo
If the world don’t believe
that don’t mean you won’t succeed
’cause deceit
may throw you off your feet
bleed if you have to bleed
Just don’t live by the testimony
of someone who only
lives by certainty
go down in history
as someone who conquered doubt
Now mistakes are not the end
flawlessness don’t exist my friend
take a chance and you’ll take a stand
opportunities are beckoning
Just don’t live by the testimony
of someone who only
lives by certainty
go down in history
as someone who conquered doubt
You are the conqueror
You are the answer
You are the one who confronted fear
You are the conqueror
You hold the power
The world draws strength from you when you’re near
Just don’t live by the testimony
of someone who only
lives by certainty
go down in history
as someone who conquered doubt
This song was recorded on my Nord Stage 3 keyboard using the Blue Baby Bottle microphone. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel to follow my projects and become a patron if you’d like to access more exclusive content.
