I haven't lived a very long life yet. The one constant I have had has been by brother John. He is my best friend and will always be. A while ago I was having a hard time because he was growing up. Sometimes I wouldn’t see him for weeks. Soon I felt the absence of a constant I had had for 17 years. So one day in November I sat down and used a guitar to create a place to store my emotions. It felt silly at first because I recall a time when we wanted to rip each other's faces off. When we bickered because of the shotgun rule on the 5 minute drive to school listening to country 105.
The song progressed so quickly, and instead of leaving it to sit on my computer like most of my written songs, I decided to message my producer Tyler. I asked him if it would be possible to record this in time for John’s birthday, January 15th. He would be turning 19. Tyler agreed to work his magic on the song and make it a true gift.
Even though I recorded for countless hours in the studio, giving myself new finger marks and bringing forth the old ones, nearly bleeding, and becoming tired of the same plucked progression, the song never stopped resonating with me.
So here it is, a song I wrote on a November day which made me realize how incredible my connection with my brother was. How wonderful he was as a human being, how beautiful he was as a person, how memories with him would be the greatest I would ever experience, and how lucky I was to access those memories any time I wanted.
My top three memories with John:
Just dance when we were younger
Playing pirates in the sand dunes on Brackley Beach, PEI
The annual hug
On March 15th, the song Ghosts was released on all streaming platforms, and today I released this music video to go along with it. I am so happy that this was made a reality. I hope anyone listening can relate to this feeling.
Happy birthday John (January 15th). May you always hold onto those memories and think of them when you are off taking the world by storm. I hope 19 treats you well, because you deserve the world.
Love, Millie
credits
released March 15, 2024
Mixer: Tyler Martin
Mastered: Gregory Pastic
Lyrics
Take me to your house by the sea
Even though you'll be there quietly
Whisper to me with your telephone
To let me know that I am not alone
You see me with your heart and with you eyes
Maybe someday I'll realize
That a world without you in it
Would be so damn hard to live in
I'll let you go
Because I know
Even though I am a sister
And someday i'll have a mister
There's no one gonna pull me away from you
No one understanding what we've been through
And growing up together
Little me thought that it would last forever
But sometimes I think it'd be better
If you and I died younger
We would be ghosts
Holding up dreams
Chasing each other around the corner
Knowing that we would never get any older
We would be spirits
Hoping that someday we’d find buried treasure
Even though we’d never find love
I sometimes wish it could last forever
Rolling down the dunes with tide
In you with my secrets I would confide
Wishing for a magic spell to fly
You said it yourself so why couldn't I?
Even though you're a brother
And someday i'll have another
There's no one gonna pull me away from you
No one understanding what we've been through
And growing up together
Little us thought that it would last forever
But sometimes I think it'd be better
If you and I died younger
We would be ghosts
Holding up dreams
Chasing each other around the corner
Knowing that we would never get any older
We would be spirits
Hoping that someday we’d find buried treasure
Even though we’d never find love
I sometimes wish it could last forever
Then one day
You and I faded away
And it's okay because I know
That its supposed to be this way
We used to fight
All damn night until the sun came up
And I was wishing to be rid of you
Now what will I do without you?
We would be ghosts
Holding up dreams
Chasing each other around the corner
Knowing that we would never get any older
We would be spirits
Hoping that someday we’d find buried treasure
Even though we’d never find love
I sometimes wish it could last forever
Can you see the stars above?
I wish we could watch them together