Rhythm Cafe MKE | Orlando Peña | VOL50 - Waxing

Send us Fan MailWaxing" is a tender, hopeful love song born out of self-reflection and a rare moment of emotional clarity. Written during a transformative period in Orlando Peña’s life, the song serves as a spiritual sequel to a previous piece called "Waning," which explored feelings of emotional depletion and disconnection. In contrast, "Waxing" is about restoration—of self, of light, and of love.The lyrics center on deep emotional support in a relationship, with lines that speak to vulnerability ("you get down often trying to deal with all of my mess") and mutual understanding ("I know your past, every darkening corner like they were my own tracks"). There’s a palpable sense of growth and healing, as the narrator celebrates a love that patiently walks beside him through uncertainty and change.Meaning & Reason Behind the Song:As Peña explains, "Waxing" was inspired by a period of renewal after relocating from the city to a remote goat farm to focus on songwriting and escape distractions. One night, under a full moon, surrounded by the sounds of his dog and Pyrenees dogs howling into the night, he was struck by a sense of peace and accomplishment. In that moment—moonlight, solitude, dogs, moonshine, and all—he wrote a love song not to any specific person, but to the moon itself. It was a symbolic gesture of gratitude for his own growth and the light he felt returning to his life.The title "Waxing"—referencing the moon’s growth—reflects that personal upward turn: from shrinking (waning) to expanding, from darkness into light. It's a metaphor for emotional rebirth and the kind of love, imagined or real, that can carry you forward.Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream