Written by Marri Cagande

Alone again, beneath the stars, beside the waves I feel myself going down, I’m drowning in blue With a lack of red, you’ve been going through my head And the more I think, the harder it is to breathe

And maybe one day, this continental heart of mine Will find yours, Maybe one day…

But tonight, it’s just me substituting loneliness With intoxication, and the asphyxiation from the lack of your breath, 

My hands are in the sand in desperate attempts To pretend that yours are enclosed in mine But when, I open my eyes, I know you won’t be there

I don’t know why I still bother believing in Fairy Tales and Happy endings when I know that they’re not coming I’ve grown used to the tone of unanswered phones And the eerie silence that follows

And maybe one day, fantasy will Turn to reality Maybe one day…

But tonight, it’s just me substituting loneliness With intoxication, and the asphyxiation from the lack of your breath, My hands are in the sand in desperate attempts To pretend that yours are enclosed in mine But when, I open my eyes, I know you won’t be there

Alone again, beneath the stars, beside the waves And the moon’s coming out I wish that you could see it too

But tonight, it’s just me substituting loneliness With intoxication, and the asphyxiation from the lack of your breath, My hands are in the sand in desperate attempts To pretend that yours are enclosed in mine But when, I open my eyes, I know you won’t be there

But tonight, it’s just me substituting loneliness With intoxication, and the asphyxiation from the lack of your breath, My hands are in the sand in desperate attempts To pretend that yours are enclosed in mine But when, I open my eyes, I know you won’t be there So, I’ll keep them closed, So I can keep you close in my head.

Listen on Soundcloud.

Alone Tonight is a song composed by one of our very own OrCom lyricists, Paolo Buted. The song talks about a person spending a lonely evening under the stars—hoping against everything for the presence of someone whom he/she knows won’t be there.

Reading the lyrics, without the music, gives off a sense of loneliness and pining. An important theme of this piece is the environment surrounding the individual—beneath the stars, beside the waves, the moon coming out. An interesting connection between the individual and the environment can be made. The described setting should give one a sense of peace and freedom; and yet the thoughts of loneliness inwardly projected by the main character make the usually liberating landscape seem more like a hollow, washed-out cardboard background of a play—with no actors and a single viewer.

If you listen to the song—hearing the humming strings of a classical guitar—you will find yourself feeling a sense of emptiness building up inside of you rather than a sense of pining. As the song continues, what you will feel won’t be a deep, pulling sadness, but more of an exhale—a sigh. Loneliness isn’t new to you. You’ve found yourself here and here again; it is no longer a surprise. In fact, it has become routine. To find yourself alone, waiting for nothing, but waiting nonetheless. The tone of the instrumental accompaniment isn’t inherently sad, and its continuity only heightens the sense of rituality of the act.

This song is a beautiful melody of the night, a song meant to accompany those who are lonely. As OrCom students, we are either creatures of the night or reluctant creatures of the night, so loneliness during acads-filled evenings is something that most, if not all, have experienced. Hopefully, this OrComposition would remind you that you have people that can relate to your drifting wayward nights.

Do you want to see your literary works, paintings, or doodles featured on the OrCom Blog through our OrCompose category? Send them here! We can’t wait to read what you have in store for us!