Relinquish

(by Niya Nolting)

Author's reading

1st Verse

Feelin’ down. Feelin’ low.

Got nowhere, nowhere to go.

Future looks bright but the night has taken its toll.

I gave you my heart. I gave you my soul.

I didn’t hold nothing back. Ooh, baby girl.

1st Chorus

So I surrender. I surrender. I release. I let go.

Oh, oh. Oh, oh.

I relinquish control.

2nd Verse

I gave my body. I gave my soul. I gave you my glow.

2nd Chorus

So I surrender. I surrender. I release. I let go.

Oh, oh. Oh, oh.

I relinquish control.

3rd Chorus

Surrender. I surrender. I relinquish control.

The purpose of this song is to capture a person's essence.

It is the most unique song I have ever written and recorded. Perfectly in line with Luna, my 27-year-old daughter, being the most unique being I have ever encountered.

A few years ago, Luna was going through a hard time, and there was only so much I could do. It was when her life truly became her own.

"Relinquish" is about letting go as a parent and passing on the torch.

I gave her my entire life from being a young mom of 22, all I had to give, my beauty, my strength, my internal glow, my nourishment, both in and out of the kitchen. She has all of it.

This song has a slow, languid tempo, just like Luna walks through life. I had never written in this key or time signature, 5/6, which gives the tempo a snap and pop. It’s a very Salsa type tempo, so out of the ordinary. I had never written in that tempo. I didn’t know I had it in me. But it’s perfect because Luna was a surprise as well. I was pulled into motherhood and pulled into this tempo. Naturally her tempo was unique and just out of my scope. It shows her internal fire that bursts up sometimes but mostly stays underneath her surface.

I wrote the song to immortalize her in music for myself, quite frankly, and to tell her a story that she isn't ready to understand yet but will later in life when she has her own daughter.

I've planted all of my gifts in her. This song is the flower from that gift. When she is older, she will totally get it, and even when I am gone, she will know that her essence is with me because it has been captured in time forever.

P.S. Luna is going to culinary school. Looks like I passed on the cooking bug.

---

Niya Nolting is a songwriter with her band Liquid Animal. She lives in Silverthorne, Colorado, and Slidell, Louisiana. She can be found on Facebook and Backstage.

Chicken Tetrazzini

1/2 c. celery, chopped

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1 lb. chicken, cut into pieces

1 lb. spaghetti

2 cans (10 1/2 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom soup

8 oz. can button mushrooms

1/3 c. parsley, chopped

1/3 c. sherry

8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

Bring 4 quarts of water to boil with celery, onion, and chicken.

Lower heat and cook for 30 minutes, then strain, reserving water.

Remove skin and bones from chicken, shred the meat, and set aside.

In same pot of water, cook spaghetti to half the time on package directions, then let it sit in the pot to absorb water.

Heat mushroom soup with mushrooms, parsley, and sherry.

Toss with spaghetti and shredded chicken.

Top with grated cheddar cheese.