David Gray: “Falling Free”

This is an incandescent bit of poetry masquerading as a love song. The lyrics, oh. The lyrics are saturated with an intense beauty that tightens up my throat a bit — the feeling of falling and being not in control. The realization that sometimes connections with another person don’t make sense. From David Gray’s reissued 1994 album Flesh, this version live at KCRW (god bless em).

Falling Free – David Gray (live on KCRW)

All of my senses overthrown
by the might of your skin
and the lamplight on your cheekbones
drawing me further in

No sentence I can speak
for the wonder so unique
breaking like a wave upon the shore

Mercy me
I’m falling free
since you opened up the door

See how the sky is made of sapphire
the colours flowing through our hands
the moon is fire in your hair
a million miles beyond what science understands

Smell that purple heather
I don’t remember ever
feeling like this before

Mercy me
I’m falling free
since you opened up the door

And if every window pane should shatter
if every wall should fall apart
well it might hurt a bit
but would it matter
with this diamond in my heart?

And there’s no need to nail it to the ground
no need to smother it with sense
just listen to the rhythm of your heart
that pounding
and trust it all to chance

Cos we’re standing face to face
with the angel of grace
and don’t it just taste so pure

Mercy me I’m falling free
mercy me I’m falling free
mercy me I’m falling free
since you opened up the door