“Won’t you leave me alone, there’s nothing to find/but I’m afraid of what you might see in my eyes,” sings Marley Hale on the first track of her brilliant EP By My Own Ways, warning men that she’ll waste their time and she’s not what they’re looking for.
“It’s the perfect way to start the EP,” Hale remarked. “Are you sure you want to know? Then the whole EP is kind of a self exploration.
Well of course I want to know. Someone with doubts and angst swirling all around may not make the best date, but if they’re honest and insightful enough to admit it and a good enough songwriter to convey it, they’ll absolutely make for a good listen.
By My Own Ways really is that kind of vulnerable EP. A good deal of it plays out as a conversation Hale is having with herself about failures, the need to cut and run, the desperation she was showing by hanging out too late at a bar. Her jaded view on love and herself is incredibly relatable to anyone who’s ever suffered through a breakup and sworn off ever trying anything like that again.
“To Those At My Window” is indeed a perfect way to start things off, and not just because reverse psychology can occasionally be effective. Hale drops hints throughout the song that this view she’s taken of herself is a result of someone else putting her down. It feels quite likely that her line about wasting men’s time was the result of that idea being planted by a disappointed man.
Much to my surprise, Hale meant it quite literally when she pointed out that there were so many other ‘ripe young flowers’ to choose from.
“I was staying in this little cabin and there were a few bees that kept buzzing at the windows of the cabin,” Hale said. As for the bees choosing her over the flowers outside: “I felt like it was a perfect metaphor. People don’t know who you are and don’t want who you actually are.”
“Drunk On You” is a necessary introduction to a souring relationship. Comparing addiction to alcohol to addiction to a person is not exactly novel, but it’s powerful for someone who’s lived it like. Though she’s since sobered up, Hale was at one point the target of “Dear Girl”‘s speech about a reckless girl at a bar determined to “take the night home.” No lyrics were quite as compelling as when Hale expressed anger at herself for drawing questionable men into the bar.
“I think that song came from a place of shame and frustration with myself that I hadn’t been the person I wanted to be,” Hale said softly. “I hadn’t cared for myself the way I wanted to care for myself.”
“On Your Knees” and “Good Man” conclude the story with Hale moving toward both personal growth and a breakup. Her repeated use of the phrase “good man” was meant genuinely, even if not all his actions had good outcomes.
“I had men in my life who by all accounts were good people,” Hale said. “And they are good people. But just because someone is a good person doesn’t mean they’re going to treat you well all the time or treat you the way you want to be treated. It was the realization that to be treated well I had to respect myself and it didn’t matter how good a person anyone around me was. That respect came from myself first.”
One of the nicest touches in “Good Man” is that it features another woman encouraging Hale to raise her standards. It’s a nice contrast to the angrier self talk of “Dear Girl” and gives me hope that Hale may be kinder to herself in the future. Because while her disappointment in herself may make for a fantastic song, it can’t be easy for Hale to have that sort of scorn directed at herself.
Above is the full episode as aired on WUSB’s Country Pocket, including both my interview with Marley Hale and the songs we discussed, starting with To Those At My Window, which is dedicated just as much to bees at it is men. The interview begins with the second video in the playlist. You can hear the show live every Monday at 11am on WUSB 90.1 FM or check the blog to watch it as a YouTube playlist. Visit http://www.WUSB.fm and https://marleyhale.com for more.
Country Pocket 