What Matters Most

from Downer by Bet Smith

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about

This is an acoustic version of a song released in December of 2018 on the Tightropes & Loose Ends LP.

After three years of living a quiet, off-grid life in BC, I moved to Ontario and became an industrial welder. (Ya, pretty random, but I had taken blacksmithing and welding in college.) I ended up working in Toronto on sets and special effects for the film and TV industry. Moving from a culture of minimalism, self-sufficiency and long-term planning to a culture of excess, immediacy and stuff, was a shock to the system. This song is about the things we want, the things we have and everything we take for granted.

lyrics

Your forefathers cleared these woods with their backs
Dreaming of cities and the lovely life you would have
Fast cars and an office in the sky
Their blood, sweat and tears left it all for you

Your great-grandmothers suffered through the years
Raising their boys up; strong backs, good bones, no fear
With axes in hand they flattened all of this land
And they left a playground all for you

But what Matters Most?
The wolf or the payload?
Jet planes or the buffalo?
Coyote or the high road?

Your good name is known throughout the world
It sounds like money, success, nice suits, hot girls
You can take it for granted, completely shut your eyes
You will never touch soil, they did it all for you

What Matters Most
The wolf or the payload?
Jet planes or the buffalo?
Coyote or the high road?

And you let your clean mouth touch my dirty lips
For I am an animal and you didn’t mean to do it
But you couldn’t deny something deep inside
That wants to be free from what is all for you

What Matters Most
The wolf or the payload?
Jet planes or the buffalo?
Coyote or the high road?

credits

from Downer, released February 2, 2021
Bet Smith: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar and Percussion

Recorded and mixed by Rob Currie
Mastered by João Carvalho
Written by Bet Smith (Ashlea-Elizabeth Smith, SOCAN)
© Bet Smith (Ashlea-Elizabeth Smith) Pine Lake Records

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about

Bet Smith Gravenhurst, Ontario

Bet Smith is a Canadian alternative folk singer-songwriter who weaves environmental and socio-political philosophy into rich, reflective compositions. With a voice that is gentle and familiar, Smith offers elegant melodies locked to lyrics that are paced and precise. ... more

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