Lyrics & Notation for Mahogany
Explore the lyrics and official musical notation for all 17 tracks of Mahogany. I hope that visitors experience Mahogany as a complete work rather than simply a collection of individual tracks. Each track has its own page with complete lyrics, musical notation, and, where available, recordings and performances.
The Tracklist
The tracks below appear in the order Mahogany was written to be experienced. Select a track to explore its lyrics, notation, and accompanying material.
- Track 1: Collateral
- Track 2: Betting on Horses
- Track 3: Ticks
- Track 4: Drown
- Track 5: Foliage Interlude
- Track 6: Mahogany
- Track 7: Spider Webs
- Track 8: The Man
- Track 9: Particle in the Wind
- Track 10: Touching Gold
- Track 11: Dancing the Wrong Dance
- Track 12: Understudy Genetics
- Track 13: Esoteric
- Track 14: Hummin' Your Song
- Track 15: Will-O'-Wisp
- Track 16: The Tide Interlude
- Track 17: Frost Epilogue
Reading Mahogany
Lyrics and melodies developed together throughout Mahogany, but the lyrics were something I was especially deliberate about getting right. I cared about the exact words, images, phrasing, repetitions, and specific details within each song, and about how those choices could carry meaning beyond just the melody itself.
I also want to note that reading Mahogany is a fundamentally different experience from hearing it. Without the vocals, instrumentation, and melody, the lyrics have to stand on their own. Details that might pass quickly while listening can take on a different weight when they are read on the page. At the same time, hearing the full songs offers something the lyrics alone cannot. Delivery, melody, instrumentation, and the movement of the music can all change how the words are experienced.
The notation offers another way into that relationship between words and music. These pages are meant to document the songs as compositions while also giving the lyrics room to be experienced on their own.