Zenith Project by JuliaT

Woke Up In Lavender

Julia Torokhova

For those waiting for their future.

Devil's Advocate I saw the monster under my bed, I got scared Alongside it lay so many dreams now dead I thought they had vanished, least that’s what they said But it took all those futures and buried them instead The world outside won’t give me a break So let’s rest here, the future still vague There’s demons outside, so many problems So many things to do, I’ll do them tomorrow We’ll get out of here one day But for now, just watch and wait Plot our escape, watch and wait Until tomorrow When I remember the devil always gets his due It’s a comfort to believe death’ll be a rescue (a friend) I ran away, now I’m here inside this haunted house I’ll sit with the spirits to get away from my ghost town They claimed they’d show me the truth but I shut my eyes So I couldn’t see all their beautiful lies There’s monsters outside, so many problems So many things to do, I’ll do them tomorrow We’ll get out of here one day But for now, just watch and wait Plot our escape, watch and wait Until tomorrow They say we create our demons so I’m petrified I don’t know what I need to sacrifice I carry these memories, burden so heavy I don’t have the energy to run, so please just bury me There’s people outside, so many problems So many things to do, I’ll do them tomorrow We’ll get out of here one day But for now, just watch and wait Plot our escape, watch and wait

Chimerian My dreams are high, my means are low But if I don’t start now I might not have tomorrow This bright place oh I know how it goes And that’s why I want something new I suppose This game oh it has its ups and it’s downs But for now I’d like to find my crown I know it’s somewhere in another town Yet from here it’s nowhere to be found There’s not much I can do yet but I want to break free Oh won’t you agree?

My dreams are high, my means are low But if I don’t start now I might not have tomorrow This bright place oh I know how it goes And that’s why I want something new I suppose There’s so many places and people to see Won’t you come, take my hand, go with me Look out the window, at the birds and the trees The shimmering lights, the rush from the city There’s not much left in this town for me Oh yes I want to break free Oh yes I want to break free Oh yes, it might just be a fantasy But oh, how I want to be free

Sunshine in the Shade The light will show me the way, the night will show me the stars And this second right now can be ours Between the trees’ leaves I can see their emotions I can hear their 1000 words unspoken See the lightning bugs, little diamond suns Let the rain give us kisses, share all our wishes In return she’ll sing us her lullaby, oh how I’m mesmerized At my beautiful paradise The light will show me the way, the night will show me the stars And this second right now, it’s ours But when I see the smile on your face I see the sunshine in this shaded place I’m left breathless by the winds kiss, helpless to its suggestion This moment frozen in time, a sweet sense sublime See the lightning bugs, little diamond suns Let the rain give us kisses, and share all of our wishes In return she’ll sing us her lullaby, oh how I’m mesmerized This place is alive, my beautiful paradise Beautiful paradise

Astronomical Shot for the stars, struck out and landed on the moon Looked back down, saw Earth’s bright oceans blue Saw the fighting down below I saw the red Saw the destruction, the corruption, the world’s malfunction So much to comprehend I’m sitting here alone, pick up the phone I see you from halfway across the world (this universe) You can’t forget me, are you ready Stardust in our bones, its burden heavy We’ll go to the moon, and back again This is our world that we have to defend And even if we must go somewhere else instead I’ll fight right up until the end Take my hand and follow me Else our world will stay lonely Fix our mistakes, heal her heartache Close your eyes but please stay awake The sun shines bright for the day, the moon gives her a break We created this mess oh we dug our own grave When the day is over we watch its light die But we can’t cast ourselves back into that bright sky We’ll go to the moon and back again This is our world that we have to defend And even if we must go somewhere else instead I’ll fight right up until the end We’ll go to the moon and back again The stars look different now my friend But even when they go some place else instead Have to remember, right until the end We’ve gone so many times, the biggest steps seem so small How it felt the first time, I can’t recall But we have to go to the moon and back again Keep on fighting up until the end Keep on fighting up until the end

Her, impulse brings change; her determination cements it.

Her caution brings safety; her devotion gives support.

Lavender is steeped in symbolism. I came up with the title for this album after writing all the songs and later changed the songs marginally to fit with the title. “Woke Up in Lavender” is based on the phrase “Buried in Lavender”. People used to bury corpses with flowers like lavender because of the strong scent of the flowers which would mask the scent of the body. It symbolizes a new life, where you were almost gone but now you can live again. It’s the experience of waiting for an event to happen or for you to begin something else before your life and really begin in full. Lavender also attracts bees more than many other flowers, so it brings new life in the spring.

The songs go in order of 1. Needing a rest from life and wanting protection for at least a night.

2. Realizing the want for something more, but not being sure how to achieve it.

3. Being about to reach for the next step, but waiting for the right time.

4. Fighting and being alive.

Each song is also meant to have the sound that embodies its environment and is matched by the illustrations. “Devil’s Advocate” has a spooky/ghost sound, “Chimerian” is jazzy like a cafe in the city, “Woke Up in Sunshine” is ethereal like a forest, and “Astronomical” has space sounds. I wanted the music to be unique yet at the same time still sound like a song, so focusing on a specific environment created this feeling.

2019 Written, recorded, produced, and designed by Julia Torokhova.

1. Devil's Advocate 2. Chimerian 3. Sunshine in the Shade 4. Astronomical Written recorded & produced by Julia Torokhova