Behind the Song: “Quicksand & Fire”

I wrote and recorded “Quicksand & Fire” at home. It’s about the pull between feeling stuck and feeling ignited—two forces tugging at the same heart.

Recording Notes

This track is intentionally minimal: just my voice and acoustic guitar, with a cello arrangement added afterward. I performed the cello parts on an Alesis Q88 MIDI keyboard using Native Instruments Solo Cello—layered for gentle drones in the verses and a simple countermelody around the bridge and final chorus. The idea was to keep space around the vocal so the lyric can breathe.

Gear

Alesis Q88 MIDI controller

Native Instruments Solo Cello (software instrument)

Acoustic guitar + vocal (home recording)

Lyrics

Chorus

Quicksand and fire, that's what you are to me,

A burning desire, in a love I cannot see.

Quicksand and fire, is what you are to me,

In your hold, I'm captive, where I long to be.

Verse 1

Dancing in shadows, yet shining so bright,

Lost in your melody, in the silence of night.

Verse 2

Echoes of a whisper, in words we never said,

In longing’s silent shadow, dreams are often led.

Chorus

Quicksand and fire, that's what you are to me,

A burning desire, in a love I cannot see.

Quicksand and fire, is what you are to me,

In your hold, I'm captive, where I long to be.

Bridge

Painting my dreams, with colors that can’t remain,

Trapped in a masterpiece, yet outside the frame.

Chorus

Quicksand and fire, that's what you are to me,

A burning desire, in a love I cannot see.

Quicksand and fire, is what you are to me,

In your hold, I'm captive, where I long to be.

Verse 3

In whispers unspoken, our secret hearts confide,

In glances that linger, where our truths can’t hide.

Chorus

Quicksand and fire, that's what you are to me,

A burning desire, in a love I cannot see.

Quicksand and fire, is what you are to me,

In your hold, I'm captive, where I long to be.

Verse 4

In the quiet of twilight, our hidden love speaks,

A tale of two shadows, in a world that never seeks.

Chorus

Quicksand and fire, that's what you are to me,

A burning desire, in a love I cannot see.

Quicksand and fire, is what you are to me,

In your hold, I'm captive, where I long to be.