{"id":"aad79674-9919-452e-9f72-f3c693dd61c7","title":"Just Getting By","artist":"Alex Wilson","album":null,"year":2025,"genre":"Folk/Americana/Singer-Songwriter/Country","duration":"3:52","lyrics":"(Verse 1)\nWoke up cold with the dawn at my spine,\nOne boot on, other lost to the pines.\nRain soaks the wood I meant to burn,\nHunger’s a habit I ain’t unlearned.\n\nBroke my mirror just to stop the stare,\nDon’t need reminders of who ain’t there.\nMap’s long gone, roads run thin—\nEvery day starts where the last one ends.\n\n(Chorus)\nI ain’t livin’, I’m just gettin’ by,\nCountin’ fence posts ‘stead of stars in the sky.\nPatchin’ up hope with rusted wire and string,\nA song in my throat that I ain’t gonna sing.\nDon’t ask me how—I couldn’t tell you why,\nBut I ain’t dead yet… I’m just gettin’ by.\n\n(Verse 2)\nStole a peach off a preacher’s tree,\nLeft two quarters where the roots should be.\nTold myself that ain’t a sin,\nBut the silence sure knows where I’ve been.\n\nSome folks run for a dream they chase,\nMe—I just walk slow, try to save face.\nAin’t lookin’ back, ain’t lookin’ ahead,\nJust makin’ peace with an empty bed.\n\n(Chorus)\nI ain’t livin’, I’m just gettin’ by,\nHoldin’ my breath when the world walks by.\nDuct-tape soul and a bloodshot eye,\nCarryin’ days I can’t justify.\nDon’t ask me when—I forgot goodbye,\nBut I’m still here… just gettin’ by.\n\n(Bridge)\nIf I had a match, I’d light up the past,\nWatch it all burn and breathe free at last.\nBut there’s work to do and rain to dodge,\nSo I keep movin’ like a ghost on the lodge.\n\n(Verse 3)\nFound a stray dog, limping the same,\nWe share our silence, call out the same name.\nHe's got no collar, just matted fur,\nAnd knows more stories than I ever heard.\n\nHe doesn't judge my weary soul,\nJust walks beside as I reach my goal.\nOf maybe just maybe gettin' through\nThe night or the day, whatever's due.\n\n(Final Chorus)\nI ain’t livin’, I’m just gettin’ by,\nThreadin’ the needle ‘tween truth and a lie.\nOne step, one scrape, one borrowed sigh,\nToo stubborn to quit, too numb to cry.\nAin’t no glory, ain’t no high—\nJust me and the dark…\nGettin’ by.","notes":"Instrumentation: Acoustic guitar (fingerpicked, Travis picking pattern), upright bass (walking bass line), minimal percussion (brushes on snare, occasional kick drum), mandolin (arpeggiated chords, high harmony), fiddle (melancholic phrases, double stops).\nTempo: Mid-tempo, slightly dragging feel.\nKey: Am (A minor)\nStructure: Verse 1 - Chorus - Verse 2 - Chorus - Bridge - Verse 3 - Final Chorus\nVocal Delivery: Raw, restrained, slightly gravelly. Emphasize the emotional weight of the lyrics. Consider adding subtle harmonies on the choruses.\nFiddle plays a counter melody during each of the verses adding to the somber tone of the song.\nMandolin should be played softly during the verses and choruses, but is allowed to be slightly more forward and a brighter tone during the bridge.","description":"A melancholic folk ballad carried by gently fingerpicked acoustic guitar, upright bass, and sparse percussion. A delicate mandolin weaves arpeggios, while a mournful fiddle adds atmospheric textures in a minor key. Alex Wilson's raw, restrained vocal delivery emphasizes the song's themes of resilience and quiet desperation in the face of hardship. The song explores the struggles of simply surviving, weighed down by memories and uncertainties of the future.","image_url":"https://v3.fal.media/files/lion/WbbX1v3HDg3CcryXS_0xS.jpeg","audio_url":"https://mxlidlmuqqztsxikjnpe.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/song-audio/8471cf64-36eb-4f5a-9b4c-7a04342118f5/JustGettingBy-1753629633257.mp3","created_at":"2025-07-27T15:20:03.676+00:00"}