Shake the Leaves

by: Katie Roche

"This song is a love letter to my partner and to Iowa  and it is about remembering that we are a part of nature and connecting to that primal, natural part of ourselves. As I turn grey and adjust to being seen as an older woman, I reflect on my time living in Brooklyn, New York as a  younger woman digging in the soil to grow things and finding that even the dirt was contaminated with clutter. From that loud city my partner and I were still able to hear music in city sounds and ultimately, we came to Iowa where we’ve made a beautiful life, a beautiful family."

~ Katie Roche

I need to shake the leaves loose from the tree,
Let fruit fall to the earth

dig a little deeper
hit a bundle of roots,
honey, I need to give birth

cause I’m full, oh I’m full,
and you're so far away

winter’s been long
and we’ve been wearing
too many clothes
I need a hot summer day

I think back on the city life, the city life,
the soil was full of glass and tires

think back on another life,
a younger life,
we found love as the
dog sang to the sirens

I need to shake this hair down from this crown,
let the sunlight hit the gray

sometimes  it seems that all we ever do is work,
let’s stay in bed all day

think back on the city life, what a gritty life,
the dirt was full of bones and trash

think back on another life, a younger life,
we never knew what was gonna last

I need to shake the leaves loose from the tree,
Let fruit fall to the earth

dig a little deeper hit a bundle of roots,
honey, I need to give birth

cause I’m full, oh I’m full,
and you're so far away

winter’s been long
and we’ve been wearing
too many clothes
I need a hot summer day