Behind the Music: “Robert Frost”
As I prepare to graduate college, I keep getting asked the dreaded question: “what are you going to do next?” I’ve found myself getting a little embarrassed sometimes when I explain my musical endeavors, and the path that I am choosing. Many of my peers and friends have secured 9-5 jobs, and it sometimes feels a little silly to explain that I am going to pursue music full-time. It’s not the steadiest or most secure job, it comes with a high potential for failure, and it’s simply different from the path that most of my friends are taking. It scares me.
I was deep in this insecurity when I wrote my upcoming album. One day, in prayer, I found myself thinking back to the famous Robert Frost poem, “The Road Not Taken.” In it, Frost postulates that choosing the less popular path can be rewarding, albeit difficult, as any path will be. I was reminded that my life has been riddled with uncertainty and unusual trajectories many times before, and that in each instance, saying yes to the uncertainty that God has allowed has made “all the difference.”
Throughout my album writing, I continued to hit roadblocks that made me question whether I have what it takes to be an artist. Making music was too expensive, too personal, too challenging. I often felt like I simply wasn’t good enough for it.
In the midst of all this, I had a conversation with my mom during which she brought up an old favorite poem of ours: Frost’s: “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” This one tells the story of a man who stops his horse to watch snow pile up in a peaceful forest. He considers staying there in the beauty and not continuing his journey. Ultimately, though, he decides that “The woods are lovely dark and deep/But I have promises to keep/And miles to go before I sleep/And miles to go before I sleep.”
Though it had been a few years since I’d last read this poem, I’d never forgotten the impact of these beautiful words and their message of perseverance.
Using these ideas, I decided to write a song about my conflicted relationship with my artistry (especially at this crossroads in my life), infused with imagery from these two favorite poems by Frost. I still don’t have all the answers, but I am confident in my conviction that music is a passion that God is calling me to pursue at this time. I know that I have to continue down this path, even though it feels less certain than the alternative.
This song—the last track on my upcoming album—is out now.
Here’s a link to the song:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kathammock/robert-frost
Here’s a link to the two Frost poems that inspired it:
“The Road Not Taken”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening
“Robert Frost” Lyrics:
Verse 1:
Somehow I knew I'd end up here
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
I wish they both felt secure
Footprints to my right, mountains and valleys to the left
And I know the choice should be clear
But gravity pulls me the other direction
So I walk until the fork disappears
Just praying it makes all the difference
Prechorus 1:
It's beautiful and it's haunting
I'm lonely when it pours
It's easy and it's daunting
Following the path I've never walked before
Chorus:
Sometimes I want to sit and stay
Turn around, walk the other way
But I've got promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
Though these woods are lovely, dark, and deep
I must go on
I must go on
Verse 2:
There's stillness in the forest
As the snow turns my hair white
I'm spinning around in wonder
I'm feeling so alive
But I get cold and hungry
As the sun goes down again
My eyes are worn and heavy
And I long to stop, to rest my head
Pre-chorus 2:
It's beautiful and it's haunting
These woods filled up with snow
It's easy and it's daunting
To think of what would happen if I let go
Chorus:
Sometimes I wanna sit and stay
Turn around, walk the other way
But I've got promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
Though these woods are lovely, dark, and deep
I must go on
I must go
Bridge:
I must go, I must go on
I must go, I must go on
I must go, I must go on
x3
Ending:
Though these woods are all that I can see
I must go on
I must go
Credits:
Music, lyrics, & vocals: Kat Hammock
Production & Instrumentation: Johan Glidden
Mastering: Daniel Oldham
A special thank you to the UVA Student Arts Council for funding the production of this song, and to my advisors from the Department of Music: Professor Karl Miller and Professor Michael Slon. I am so grateful to them for sharing their talent, knowledge, and expertise with me as I worked on this project.
