Neither Could Dylan

Skeleton is probably the most emotionally heavy song on Acceptance, but its production is pretty bare bones and simple (like a skeleton!).

It was originally written with the intention of it being only an acoustic guitar and vocal track but after experimenting with some vocal effects, I thought it was better served to incorporate some of those elements and a drum and bass line to help guide it along. Tack on an eerie little lead guitar lick at the intro and outro and suddenly it’s got a very dark and brooding temperament.

In keeping with the conversation we were having in the previous blog for To Be Loved, Skeleton turns attention to the other side of love – the shitty side of love that we’re not often so keen to talk about. Toxic relationships that can be abusive, mentally, emotionally, physically or otherwise, and are not always easy to tell when you’re in one if you’ve been there a while already. 

The sort of disclaimer that I often start with when I play this song live is that if you find yourself in any way relating to this song today, you should probably reevaluate where you are and who you’re with because this is not a place I hope for anyone to ever find themselves in. 

Love should be uplifting, supportive, fun and exciting. It should make you want to be better not because you think you’re a bad person but because you should always strive to be the best version of yourself. It should leave you feeling comfortable in your own body and strong in your own mind. You should never feel like you should have to be with someone, but rather want to because they provide you with support and care that improves your well being and because you can offer them the same. It is a privilege to find this type of partnership and if you don’t feel pride in the one you’re in, there is probably something wrong.

Check out the Skeleton Acoustic-Bedroom Live on YouTube

I can remember some of my earliest relationships and how insecure the people I was with then seemed to constantly spill over into distrust in me and questioning where my loyalty lay. I’d have a lot of trouble, for example, balancing my work life and career goals with continuing to date because those people would see it as a strike to their ego if I was more interested in furthering my work than I was hanging out with them. The truth was that I was looking for a balance in both but have always believed that the person you’re with should be understanding and supportive of your goals just as much as their own. 

To that same point, we should all have hobbies and our own friend circles and others to turn to so that we’re not constantly relying on just each other. 

I consider a lot of those types of things massive red flags now when considering new relationships. There needs to be a great deal of give and take to make anything work, and relationships are undoubtedly work, they shouldn’t feel like it every second of every waking day.

And at no point should the company you keep serve to bring you down, belittle or discourage you. These are the feelings I express throughout “Skeleton”.

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Here are the official lyrics for Skeleton:

When I’m with you
My muscles start to ache
The veins beneath my skin
Start pulling away

When I’m with you
I become a skeleton
Frail bones, no soul
And you call this love

When I’m with you
My blood starts to rush
The airways and the passages
All fill up at once

And you call this love
And you call this love

When I’m with you
I lose sight of everything
Take what you came for
Go ahead, I’m ready
Shovel on the dirt
Pile it on me
Take what you came for
Go ahead and bury me
When I’m with you
I become a skeleton
Frail bones, no soul

And they call this love
And you call this love

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I think it’s really important to add here that a lot of what I’m saying is one of those, “easier said than done,” for people who have found themselves in abusive relationships. They’re far easier to discuss and be open about when you’re no longer in them. Leaving these types of relationships, especially for women, can be a great undertaking and a very dangerous one – it is the time when a woman’s partner is most likely to inflict harm on her if she tries to leave.

For this reason it’s important to be cautious in what you say and how you behave if you’re trying to get yourself out. On crookedforest.ca there are some domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse resources that might be a good place to start if you’re not sure what steps to take next, but I encourage you to be your own advocate, do your best research and trust your own instincts.

Listen to Skeleton wherever you stream & don’t forget you can order the album on CD through our online store. 

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Next time on the blog, I’ll share my thoughts on track 5: Dismal. 

In case you missed it, jump back to the overview blog about this record or follow the below index to read the previous blogs in this series:

Track 1: Tapes
Track 2: Chemical Therapy
Track 3: To Be Loved
Track 4: Skeleton (you are here!)
Track 5: Dismal
Track 6: Casual Conversation
Track 7: Loose Change
Track 8: Happy
Track 9: Without You
Track 10: Wishing Well