Singled Out: By Blood Alone

When I first heard the beginnings of the song that would later be known as Seas of Blood, I immediately thought of a sea-shantyesque kind of song. I have always had a very deep and emotional connection to the ocean. It holds so much power, emotion, life and Romanticism. I am tremendously fond of the way the ocean's smell will trigger memories and comforting thoughts no matter how long I may be away from it. In addition to being a place that fosters life it will also take it away. I am fascinated by the tales of loves lost at sea. The place where I lived in Portland, ME was right by the ocean and all of the historic captain's houses line the eastern promenade. Many of these homes have a widows walk aka a roof walk. The mythical romantic use of this platform was for family members to watch their loved ones go out to sea or to wait for their return, often in vain as the ocean took the lives of the mariners, leaving the women as widows. Often when I am writing the melodies and lyrics for a By Blood Alone song Romanticism takes front stage, this song cried out for a love lost at sea story. I also took information from a nature program that I watched about the ocean which infiltrated the song writing process. It was stated in this program that if you were to substitute human blood for all the ocean's water in the world that most sea life would be able to survive in it, thus Seas of Blood. The powerful ocean could take away human life and in turn human life could give it back. I enjoy the thought of this symbiotic relationship. We are water, the world is water, the sea is our blood and we are the sea.