Music and Lyrics © Delaney Gustafson

CURSE OF THE OPTIMIST

Verse 1
There’s a prism in my window that catches the light
And scatters colors when the sun is just right
The day comes in seasons of confetti and snow
Dormant then brilliant but when we don’t know

Pre-Chorus 1
Searching the streamers on your handlebars
Glimmering, gone; like a firefly jar
Like bubbles full of rainbows just passing through
You can watch them float and pop or pull them into you

Chorus 1
It’s an unfenced backyard and the neighbors come play
It’s the sun setting on the last breeze of the day
It’s a table too full and a stomach too stuffed
'Til dessert is served and you’ve got enough
It’s enough, close enough, it's enough

Verse 2
It’s when the family comes home bursting through the door
Hugging you tight cuz one day felt like four
It’s the kiss of your love as he puts down the bags
Smiles and asks what kind of day you’ve had

Bridge
Well I’ve been taking pictures and trying to hold tight
'Cause sometimes I don’t know if I’m doing this right
Collecting the moments like pearlescent rocks
It’s a pretty heaviness that never stops.

In the bottom of the hourglass, the gift of time
Sounds a lot like being buried alive
But the curse of the optimist isn’t the cup;
It’s not about if you’re full, it’s you’re full of what?

Chorus 2
It’s a song on the porch with a band full of friends
Singing and playing ‘til the golden hour ends
It’s the stars in the same palace as the night before
Maybe you haven’t seen God, but you’re pretty sure
It's like heaven, Just like heaven
Heaven, Close enough to 
Heaven, Heaven

Behind the Song
“Curse of the Optimist” is a new song that I'm premiering for the Fam Jam Festival; it's all about “glimmers” or the little things that keep us going in the dark. Events outside my control often lead me to feel like I'm overwhelmed by the life I'm leading--like it's systematically killing me as I struggle to “make it.” But there's all these little glimmers that I started noticing in the fabric of the day-to-day that are really the whole point, so I tried to capture them in this epilogue to the night.
-Delaney Gustafson