I don’t know how I found “Day by Day” by Old Sea Brigade (Ben Cramer). It could’ve been the magic of Spotify or it could have been the result of the innumerable times a friend and I have shared similar songs back and forth. Either way, I’m happy I found it. My favorite version is the acoustic one I have saved on Spotify. But the video below from Old Sea Brigade’s YouTube channel is a damned close second. It also gets bonus points for the intimate video from The Sun Room at the Nashville House of Blues. I am not a big fan of the more up-tempo one and if I were, it wouldn’t be a good choice as a Hangover Cafe selection anyway. Acoustic wins!
Then I think of you growing old and it breaks my heart
—Old Sea Brigade
Indeed. How many times have I lain awake lamenting the knowledge that my late wife will never age another day? Poetic lyricism aside, Cramer’s vocals are what makes this song resonate. He starts off slightly anxious and slightly defeated at the same time. “This again?” he seems to ask himself in that first verse. I hear you, friend. I hear you.
The post-chorus is where he lets his emotion start coming through. He sings, “I’m a prisoner, babe, you know I can’t escape” while bringing up his pitch and continues the trend until he finishes the post-chorus. Then he returns to his previous resolve in verse three; when he has nothing left to do but pray for sleep. Show of hands, how many of us have been there?
The emotion in this song belies the singer’s age. As of this article, he is 31 years old. Regardless of his age, this guy knows pain. That or he’s an insightful empath and knows how to convey raw emotion! That’s all for this time; I hope your hangover gets better.
