Come Down Alive

If My Violin Had Words - Songs from the melodies I never sang If My Violin Had Words is a collection of songs born from violin melodies that once existed without lyrics. These were pieces I played knowing exactly what they meant to me, but often harder to interpret as instrumental pieces, so these new song combine sampled fragments with lyrics close to my heart — fragments of memory, longing, survival, love, escape, and home. This project imagines what those melodies would become if they finally had a voice. Each track turns a sample from my violin tunes into a song: sometimes cinematic, sometimes intimate, sometimes painful, sometimes hopeful. Together, they move through old streets, locked rooms, seaside sunsets, Duino memories, beautiful disguises, and nights I almost didn’t make it through. At its heart, this album is about giving words to feelings that lived first in sound. Lyrics: [Verse 1] I came to the glass world hungry With a suitcase and a name Every tower looked like heaven Every hallway looked the same Three days running on the ceiling Two nights talking to the lights Shaking hands in borrowed jackets Telling strangers I was fine I smiled through the interviews Like a king without a throne Had a dream inside my pocket And no place to call my own And the city kept on spinning Like it wanted me to fall But I thought if I could win it I could finally have it all [Chorus] I’m coming down alive I’m coming down alive I almost lost my mind But I’m coming down alive I don’t need to fly I don’t need the high I made it through the night And I’m coming down alive [Verse 2] There were rooms I don’t remember There were faces in the blue Dizzy mouths and midnight mirrors Making strangers feel like truth I was cashing out my future For a secret I could hide A tiny bag in my pocket And a hurricane inside There were locked-door little moments With the tiles cold as bone Fixing up my face again So no one else would know Every kiss became an exit Every silence felt too loud I was smiling like a winner While I nearly hit the ground [Chorus] I’m coming down alive I’m coming down alive I almost lost my mind But I’m coming down alive I don’t need to fly I don’t need the high I made it through the night And I’m coming down alive [Spoken Interlude] One night the room went sideways My chest became a warning And for the first time in forever I wanted to see the morning [Middle] Then a man across the table Said he saw the spark in me Said the future had a price tag Said he liked my company And I laughed like I was golden With my heartbeat out of time Risked the whole thing for a moment Like my life was not my life I am not the siren I am not the speed I am not the city When it gets its teeth in me I am not the hunger I am not the high I am still the boy Who wants to stay alive [Final Chorus] I’m coming down alive I’m coming down alive I almost lost my mind But I’m coming down alive I don’t need to fly I don’t need the high I made it through the night And I’m coming down alive [Outro] The towers still are shining But they don’t own my mind I walk out of the static And I leave the ghost behind I’m coming down alive I’m coming down alive I don’t have to burn so bright To know I have a light