Charmaine

Rough demo #25

I’ve been sharing rough demos that were mostly just me singing and playing guitar into Voice Memos on my phone. Last week, I decided to start learning GarageBand so I’d have a better way to record demos and learn more about recording in general. It’s a lot easier than trying to get an entire song right in one take. I also want to learn more about DAWs and become more involved in recording my own music. So here it is: my first rough demo recorded in GarageBand.

This song is about the disappointment that comes from realizing someone you admired or loved wasn’t really who you thought they were. It’s about the strange feeling that comes with power imbalances and the trapped feeling of needing to stay in a situation that no longer feels emotionally safe.

It’s about feeling like someone’s project instead of feeling genuinely seen. About relationships that seem meaningful and authentic but slowly reveal themselves to be something else. It’s about going from feeling valued to feeling like an inconvenience. About watching the picture you had of someone fall apart.

It’s about being misunderstood. About trying to explain yourself and feeling unheard. About the loneliness of realizing that someone who seemed to understand people deeply may not have understood you at all.

Charmaine represents more than one person. The song is really about a pattern. It’s about people who are drawn to kind and genuine people but lose interest when a relationship requires mutuality, accountability, or real care. People who are comfortable receiving more than they give. People who see relationships as exchanges rather than connections. The details change, but the dynamic is often the same. One person is looking for understanding, support, or belonging, while the other is more invested in what they can get from the relationship.

“Charmaine” comes from the French word charme, meaning charm or enchantment.

Charmaine

Lyrics

Charmaine

How is your day today

Don’t forget to smile

Just don’t go the extra mile

Charmaine

Is this chair okay today

What trip will you take

With the money you make

Oh Charmaine

You’re playing a game

You’ll always win

You thought you took me in

You thought you took me in

Charmaine

The gift that you gave

Do you know me at all

You’re missing your mark

Be careful Charmaine

I am alive

I’m not your project

You’re walking that line

Oh Charmaine

Can’t you see I’m this way

I’m not what you fear

Can't you see what is near

Can’t you see what’s right here

Charmaine

How is your day today

Don’t forget to smile

Just don’t go the extra mile

Oh Charmaine

You’re playing a game

You’ll always win

You thought you took me in

Oh Charmaine

Can’t you see I’m this way

I’m not what you fear

Can’t you see what is near

Can’t you see what is near

Can’t you see I’m right here

Thanks for listening. It means more than you know.

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