Pim Stones: The Last One I Made

Chorus:

And I'm not sure just how much

more of this I can bear

I try to talk to God but it seems even he doesn't care

I've seen the new one he's building, and my, how he's made not one mistake

He told me, 'son, I promise you this one will be so much better than the last one I made'

The Last One I Made: Lyricism

This particular song is steeped in religious symbolism. The artist begins, “two pounds a month could help save a life, but that’s not for some, it’s only for some.” The song grapples with salvation and the imperfection and heartache God made on earth. I chose to paint my best friend as the main character of the song, holding in his hands “The Last One [God] Made.” This globe not only holds a rising sun, but a glimpse of a new world. The Bible indicates that God will create a new Earth in Revelation:

“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea… ‘There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:1, 4-5).

In stark contrast to the world which literally is going up in flames around him, the character holds onto a globe filled by a sea which could quench the fire. He fixes his eyes upon the sun rising into a new day in front of him, while fire and ash darken the night sky behind him.

Bombarding his mind are the thoughts of loneliness, despair, and the old world passing away, indicated by the Brimstone Moths flying around his head. Brimstone, of course, is synonymous with Hellish sulfur. In a natural contrast, his dirty linen poet shirt is surrounded by white lilies, which are often used to honor departed souls. Stones references Psalm 23 when he sings “As I walk through the valley of death, I am alone, I am alone.” He again references the Psalms, specifically Psalm 119, by saying, “and all those words that you once said, they no longer take me home.” While the original Psalmist expressed the word of God bringing light unto his path, Stones captures the weariness of walking with closed eyes until God shows him the “Last One [He] Made.”

On his finger sits an emerald ring. In the midst of the fires green flowers and trees remain. He holds onto hope, indicated by the lines, “that's okay because I know that in a thousand years or so there will be love, there'll be enough love to cushion all the falls.” Hope sits on his finger encapsulated by the green emerald stone. Green commonly represents hope, also present in the color of moths, trees, leaves, and hillside which stand in stark contrast to the fires behind the character.

Outside of the frame, the scene changes. Night and chaos turn to day and peace. The style is much more painterly, suggesting there is room to imagine a heavenly serenity. This change also indicates that “The Last One” may look more like the first than we realize.

The Last One I Made: Chromesthetics

When the strings fade out, piano arpeggios glitter up and down until each time the character says “I am alone.”

In terms of musical composition, this song uses piano arpeggios, tense strings, and an increasingly complicated musical texture to build tension and anticipation. The sounds rise throughout the song, pushing against an invisible ceiling. This creates anticipation among low chords and the singer’s deep register. Strings build tension in the story, beginning with the lyric, “there will be love” and culminating in the line “I am alone.” The tension builds on top of a steady, even tempo which gives the sense of the singer walking down a road. As he sings, the tension in the accompaniment builds through the arpeggiated piano and subtly swelling strings.

Stones uses a compounding musical texture as he adds more layers to the song. Homophony is a musical texture that has every instrument or voice playing together with the same rhythm and in harmony or unison. Polyphony is when instruments play separate rhythms, such as different arpeggios, on top of each other. Stones uses this polyphonic musical texture to add tension. Anticipation builds as the sound rises upward, searching for an escape or resolution. As the song fades we expect to hear the music resolve, but the piano does not end on the tonic note of the piece. The final strike of the piano rings out the seventh scale degree of the song's tonality, the highest point of tension in a musical scale. By building tension and delaying resolution, Stones is able to create a sense of longing and searching for a kingdom to come.