"Fig Tree"-Sarah Green

Sarah Green is my housemate. She also happens to be a very talented singer and songwriter.

It's cool living with another songwriter because you get to see a little bit of someone else's process. I tend to write songs that are more on the pop end of the spectrum, so when I get nervous I'm often worrying about being too "mainstream" or "silly." Sarah's songs are more folk-influenced than mine, and she was telling me today that she sometimes worries about being too "fruity."

Of course I told her that her songs were not fruity, because they aren't. But that made me think about what the term meant, since I completely understood what she was talking about. I am a fan of folk music of all types. However, some folky songwriters ARE fruity. Why does that happen?

I can think of two reasons: a) Lack of sense of humor. b) Cliched and boring word choice.

Sarah's songs are the kind that can make you cry, but her sense of humor is always there quietly in the background as a steadying force. It's not like she's telling jokes or anything, but it's more the feeling that when the song is melancholy, there's something else there balancing it. Perspective, maybe, or the possibility of change.

And in terms of words--she's also a very distinguished poet, so she is literally a pro at placing and choosing them.

Everything I've heard of hers, I've liked, but today I'm really into "Fig Tree," which is written from the point-of-view of someone incarcerated at Guantanamo. Heavy stuff, I know. But the personal quality of the song keeps out any kind of melodrama or preachiness. And she's a master of those phrases that just pinch your heart in the right spot---when she sings "I keep the real yes or no in my marrow" and "A fig tree a man could count on / With a library of leaves below" I get all quivery. You will see what I mean when you listen to it, in the link I have so conveniently provided for you below.

Sometimes I sing Sarah's songs to myself in the shower. It's an interesting feeling to know that the writer of the song could walk by the bathroom and hear you.


listen to "Fig Tree" on myspace