Husband and wife Indie folk rock duo Desi and Cody just released their sophomore album "Yes, This Is Killing Us" and to celebrate we asked Cody to tell us the deeply personal story behind the track "Elija's Song". Here is the story:
Elija's Song was written unlike any song I've ever written. Usually, when I am writing a song, I have no idea what it's really gonna be about. I may have a vague idea, but I never usually start out going, "Ok, I'm gonna write a song about that one time I did that one thing." Elja's song was intentional from the very beginning. My best friend, and his family have been extraordinarily supportive of Desi and I's career in music. He and I grew up in the same small town, Oologah, Oklahoma. Neither of us were really born with the silver spoon in our mouths, to say the very least. Him and I went through a lot together. From little league to high school, we have always been friends. After High School, we both got into some pretty bad habits. Small towns in Oklahoma have a way of turning young men to drugs, and we were no exception. By the time we were 22 years old, we were in a really bad place.�
Alcoholism and drug addiction had more or less become a full time�job. We were both using, and selling drugs on a constant basis. We both knew it was out of control, but neither of us was willing to stop it until it was almost too late. My friend went to jail. Then my friend got sober. I was alone. This was a bad thing because I no longer had my partner in crime to help me rationalize and justify my bad behavior. Fast forward 9 months later, I'm at the end of my rope. I have no one left to turn to and I'm literally hallucinating and having suicidal thoughts. I called my friend. He had been in some recovery programs, and over the next few years, he helped me find my way back to the light. We both stayed completely sober for 9 years. After we got into our 30's we kinda eased back into social drinking, but have managed to keep it at a low roar. I have had a few rounds on tour where things got a little crazy, but never anywhere close to what it was like in those desperate days back in Oologah. My friend now has become a very successful businessman, and is raising a family. His parents are very proud of him, as am I. Like I said, they have been a huge impact on Desi and Cody. They have been the largest benefactors of our Kickstarter Campaigns, and have been there for us in every way, since the very beginning. So... we decided to write a song for them. A song for my friends son, Elija.
At first it seemed like an impossible task. How am I supposed to write a song that effectively evokes the emotion and love that occurs when someone has a child? Can I really even come close to hitting the nail on the head? Despite my anxiety, I began attempting to write this thing. I must've written 6 songs... and they were all terrible. The truth is, the boy was very young, and I hadn't spent enough time around him to really make it happen. So, we took him fishing. My friend, myself, and the boy went to a small pond and relived one of our most beloved past times. If you grew up in Oologah, Oklahoma... when you think of childhood; you think of fishing. That was a good start. Then, that winter, we went to my friends parents house for a Christmas Party. I saw him, and his family and it was just so beautiful. I was so happy that we didn't end up like so many of our buddies we grew up with. We made it. We survived. So... the next day I'm singing in the shower and this tune pops in my head. I thought to myself, "that's it!" I immediately jumped out of the shower, dried off, and grabbed a guitar. The song took all of 5 minutes to write, it just flowed out of me. It was simple. I wanted to write a song that would prepare the boy for some of the struggles I knew he would face. Struggles his father and I had faced together, and somehow made it through. I wanted to write something that not only suited where Elija was in his life now, but all throughout his life. Now that it's done, I am more proud of it than any song I've ever written. If Desi and I are having a bad show, we can always rely on playing Elija's Song to get us out of the funk. It's the most positive tune I've ever written, and it has been a real blessing in that respect. A song about hope. A song about perseverance. In a world that seems so full of darkness right now, this song has been a light, and I'm grateful to my friend and his family for giving it to me.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!
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