Violet Pen | Songwriter/Lyricist

Music & Lyrics

Eyes on Me

Step out on the wire
It’s like walking in the sky
Don’t look down
Just focus on your eyes

Wind whipping my hair
Makes it hard to see you there
But I hear you
Whisper through the air

Eyes on me, eyes on you
That’s all we need to get through
And there’s nothing that we can’t do
I know this much is true
Eyes on me, on you

Let the world go quiet
They can’t reach us here
It’s just us
You don’t have to fear
Years will come and go
And our bodies they will fade
See these eyes
They won’t ever change

Eyes on me, eyes on you
That’s all we need to get through
There’s nothing that we can’t do
I know this much is true
Eyes on me, on you

Every place and person, were just stops on the road
It was worth it to me, all of those years alone
I found it in your eyes, and I found it in your soul
I’ve been searching for so long and now I’m finally home

Eyes on me, eyes on you
That’s all we need to get through
There’s nothing that we can’t do
I know this much is true
Eyes on me, on you

Look Away

Violet Pen · Look Away

Don’t look at me, don’t look at me, don’t look at me that way
Don’t ask me, don’t ask me to, don’t ask me to stay
You’re just another dead end on this dead end road
Cause I’m done livin’ in the shadows, you know
That’s no place for me
So look away, look away, look away from me

Cause if you hold me, I’m not gonna wanna let go

So look away, look away, look away from me

I’m watching you watching me
Across the room and I feel the heat
This scene’s played out twenty times before
Yeah we both know I want more than what you’re looking for

Don’t look at me, don’t look at me, don’t look at me that way
Don’t ask me, don’t ask me to, don’t ask me to stay
Cause if you hold me, I’m not gonna wanna let go
You’re just another dead end on this dead end road
Cause I’m done living in the shadows, you know
That’s no place for me
So look away, look away, look away from me
So look away, look away, look away from me

I saw you with her the other night
Holding hands, your smile wide
So I ran for the exit, I ran for my life
I guess some things you have to see with your own eyes

And I’m like sorry, sorry but I can’t look at you no more
You say you love me but I’m already walking out that door

And I’m like look away, look away, look away
Look away, look away, look away from me
Cause I’m done livin’ in the shadows, you know
That’s no place for me
So look away, look away, look away from me
So look away, look away, look away from me

The Cold Year (release date 01/20/23)

Violet Pen · The Cold Year featuring Kylee Skye Lynn and Ryan Whyte Maloney

I used to think that love might not be meant for me
Every time I’ve tried it ends in tragedy

‘but there you were it felt like destiny
for just a fleeting moment I had everything

Now winter’s come
And you’ve come undone
No I don’t care about your reasons

Cause I’m in the cold here
You stole my light and disappeared
Seasons change but I stay frozen at a standstill

but I know one day the sun will reappear
All you’ll ever be to me is a cold year

The days are short and the nights are long

and like the snow my tears still fall
I used to think you stood so tall

but it was just me being good at making myself small

Still winter comes
And I’ve come undone
I’ll never care about your reasons

Cause I’m in the cold here
You stole my light and disappeared
Seasons change but I stay frozen at a standstill

but I know one day the sun will reappear
All you’ll ever be to me is a cold year

Winter comes you’ve come undone

Winter comes I’ve come undone

Cause I’m in the cold here
You stole my light and disappeared
Seasons change but I stay frozen at a standstill

but I know one day the sun will reappear
All you’ll ever be to me is a cold year
A cold year
A cold year

Empty Street (release date TBD)

Violet Pen · Empty Street

I was born on an empty street

where silence filled the air

I knew to walk so carefully

among all the minefields there

Their melancholy surrounded me

like a field of dead flowers

I’d escape inside my dreams

losing myself with every hour

Is there anything else out there

Is there anything more for me

I want to leave this empty street

for a place that feels alive

Where hearts have great capacity

and it’s okay to cry

But why is it every time I try

the joke ends up on me

I must be blind cause all I ever find

is another empty street

Laying here beside you now

I feel the warmth of your skin

But in my heart I know somehow

you’ve disappeared again

Your melancholy surrounds me

like a weight upon my soul

It’s become so heavy

I can’t feel myself at all

Is there anything else out there

Is there anything more for me

I want to leave this empty street

for a place that feels alive

Where hearts have great capacity

and it’s okay to cry

But why is it every time I try

the joke ends up on me

I must be blind cause all I ever find

is another empty street

I think I finally know

that I don’t need you

I just need me

No more dead end roads

Now I’m ready to move on

so I can finally be free

I want to leave this empty street

for a place that feels alive

Where hearts have great capacity

and it’s okay to cry

But why is it every time I try

the joke ends up on me

I must be blind cause all I ever find

is another empty street

Another empty street

Risk the Fall (release date 9/20/22)

Violet Pen · Risk The Fall

We’ve been friends since California 2005
Still living like our lives are on the line
You went to the mountains, I landed by the sea
Still fighting the same battles we did at 23

Tired of running circles round in our heads
Trying to understand things that never made sense
Keep telling me girl I wanna be myself
In a world that wants us to be something else...something else

So, let’s break it
Refuse to take it
Yeah let that fire burn out…let it burn out the fear that tames us
Yeah I know it hurts and I know it’s hard, and yes we could lose it all
But if we’re really gonna live, really gonna live, really gonna live
We gotta risk the fall

18 years of doing all the right things
But nobody’s listening, nobody sees
Can’t seem to find a place that really feels like home
Just aching for a moment to feel like we belong

We feel like cheetahs yet we’re living in fear
The cages around us keep us dying here
I know we didn’t get the love that we need
It makes us question our worth and all our dreams…all our dreams

The day is new
It’s our choice now
What are we gonna do
With nothing holding us down?

But if we’re really gonna live, really gonna live, really gonna live
We gotta risk the fall

Walk Away (release date 10/11/22)

Violet Pen · Walk Away

It’s the middle of the night
And we’ve been here before
An invisible crossroad
We can no longer ignore
You touch my face
And I close my eyes
I’ve tried everything to keep us alive

Walk away, and make this easy on me
Don’t give me hope
We both know you can’t give me what I need
I’ll fight
But I think you want to be free
Walk away, and make this easy, easy on me

Hour after hour
We’re trying to figure it out
Blow after blow
Bruised by each of your doubts
If only your heart
Hadn’t touched my soul
I’d be strong enough to let you go

Walk away, and make this easy on me
Don’t give me hope
We both know you can’t give me what I need
I’ll fight
But I think you want to be free
Walk away, and make this easy, easy on me

Walk away, and make this easy on me
Don’t give me hope
We both know you can’t give me what I need
I’ll fight
But I think you want to be free
Walk away, and make this easy, easy on me

Walk away, and make this easy on me
Don’t give me hope
We both know you can’t give me what I need
I’ll fight
But I think you want to be free
Walk away, and make this easy, easy on me

Who I Was Meant to Be (release date TBD)

Violet Pen · Who I was Meant to Be

The waves keep rollin’ in
Like the days of my life
They all look the same
How do I shift the tide?

I used to dance until midnight
And pioneer new lands alone
I’d risk it all for a great love
Oh tell me where has she gone

Am I still the same girl I used to be
I’ve got more lines on my face
I’ve got more history
Can I take the best of her
And set the rest free
And become, become, become
Who I was meant to be

I’ve looked in the mirror
Stared deep into my eyes
Asked myself the hard questions
Trying to tell myself no lies

I’ve been carrying you on my back
Unable to forgive
But that leaves little space
For new life to come in

Am I still the same girl I used to be
I’ve got more lines on my face
I’ve got more history
Can I take the best of her
And set the rest free
And become, become, become
Who I was meant to be

Somehow (release date TBD)

Violet Pen · Somehow

I remember that time on the river
We saw that deer run for its life
So beautiful and scared
She wasn’t going down without a fight
You looked at me and I held back the tears
We both knew we’d been living
With that same kind of fear

I keep asking myself what’s this life mean
But moments like these they make me believe

All these years I’ve often felt alone
Never had a place that I called home
Change course more times than I can count
But with you I feel like I belong somehow
I belong somehow

I remember that time we walked up
highway one in the dark
The helicopter above
Kept shining its spotlight on us
We ran like thieves and laughed like kids
We weren’t really in trouble
But we loved living like this

I keep asking myself what’s this life mean
But moments like these they make me believe

All these years I’ve often felt alone
Never had a place that I called home
Change course more times than I can count
But with you I feel like…

All these years I’ve often felt alone
Never had a place that I called home
Change course more times than I can count
But with you I feel like I belong somehow
I belong somehow
I belong somehow

Disappearing

Violet Pen · Disappearing

Where are you love?
It’s quiet here
Thought you were coming
Thought I had years

Where are you love?
Racking my mind
Did I give you up?
Did I pass you by?

I used to feel
I used to dream
All of those years
it was so easy
Now I sit
on broken beaches
My weary heart
shattered in pieces
What am I missing?
It’s all disappearing

On that spring day
we said goodbye
It was the last time
I felt alive

Thought I’d found
the one for me
But love just keeps
on vanishing

I used to feel
I used to dream
All of those years
it was so easy

Now I sit
on broken beaches
My weary heart
shattered in pieces
What am I missing?
I’m disappearing

I used to feel
I used to dream
All of those years
it was so easy
Now I sit
on broken beaches
My weary heart
shattered in pieces
What am I missing?
I’m disappearing
What am I missing?
It’s all disappearing
What am I missing?
I’m disappearing

Just a Memory (release date TBD)

Violet Pen · Just a Memory

I know I shouldn’t play our song

But on nights like these I do
And it takes me back to the moment
when I knew I was in love with you

The opening chord still catches my breath
And the fourth line still sets me on fire
I remember how you looked at me
The music made us feel so alive

But then a familiar ache sets in
and I shake off my reverie
Cause now you're gone and it's no longer our song
and all we are is just a memory

We must have played that song a hundred times
It always cast a spell
Closing any gap between us
Until our last farewell

Still the opening chord catches my breath
And the fourth line still sets me on fire
I remember how you looked at me
as the rhythm took us higher

But then a familiar ache sets in
and I shake off my reverie
Cause now you're gone and it's no longer our song
and all we are is just a memory

I know I shouldn't want to play our song
I know I shouldn't wonder if you ever turn it on

Cause that familiar ache sets in
and I shake off my reverie
I know you're gone and it's no longer our song
and all we are is just a memory

Runaway (release date March 10, 2023)

Violet Pen · Runaway

I drive alone

on a two lane road
Breathe out slowly
We both know I had to go

It’s half past ten
Texas never seems to end
But if I stop now
I will lose my ground

Cause I keep telling myself I’ll be okay
Telling myself I deserve more than he gave
It always ends in the same way
I’m driving in my car away
I don’t think he cares
He never asks me to stay
So I just wanna runaway
Cause I’m just a runaway….from heartbreak

I round a curve
And hold my nerve
Pray I’ll find
What I deserve

Canyon lands
and desert sand
This beauty helps me
breathe again

Just a few towns left to go
I’ll be here out on the road
I’ll start my new life on the west coast
Just a few towns left to go
I’ll be here out on the road
3000 miles and I can let go
I can let go, let go
I can let go

Cause I keep telling myself I’ll be okay
Telling myself I deserve more than he gave
It always ends in the same way
I’m driving in my car away

Woman (release date 11/08/22)

Violet Pen · Woman

She’s a lady on the street
gripping a cardboard sign
Just so her kids can eat
They come before her pride

She’s a woman on the run
They blame her for his crimes
And though her body shakes
She’ll make it out this time

But you know how strong you can be
Lord knows for us it’s never been easy

Cause a woman’s gotta do
what a woman’s gotta do
At the end of the day
you know it’s all on you
I’m a woman who knows
Girl, I’ve been there too
Yeah a woman’s gotta do
what a woman’s gotta do

She’s a woman in love
But he’s too busy for her dreams
And the years feel empty
Heartbroken she leaves

But you know how strong you can be
Lord knows for us it’s never been easy

Cause a woman’s gotta do
what a woman’s gotta do
At the end of the day
you know it’s all on you
I’m a woman who knows
Girl, I’ve been there too
Yeah a woman’s gotta do
what a woman’s gotta do

Win or lose
Crawl or run
Head held high
She’ll carry on

Little One (release date TBD)

Violet Pen · Little One

I know it's not easy now
You feel covered in dark clouds
You can't see what I see
That there's light in the darkest things

So Little One,
hold my hand and let's run
Find a spot on the hill
Where we can be still
Feel the sun on our face
And the wind in our hair
And cry, baby cry
Till the clouds disappear

I know you're tryin’ to be strong
And figure out where things went wrong
But please
Trust me
When I say there's beauty in the painful things

So Little One,
hold my hand and let's run
Find a spot on the hill
Where we can be still
Feel the sun on our face
And the wind in our hair
And cry, baby cry
Till the clouds disappear

Years will go by
And your life will change
But you and me
We’ll always be the same
And when you start to feel it rain
Remember the sun

So Little One,
hold my hand and let's run
Find a spot on the hill
Where we can be still
Feel the sun on your face
And the wind in our hair
And cry, baby cry
Till the clouds disappear

The Last Time (release date 12/06/22)

Violet Pen · The Last Time

We said goodbye in April
The airport ride was long
Holding hands and playing SAINt John
I needed the music on

You squeezed my hand so tight
Like you just couldn’t let go
Knowing we were ending
Made it safe to feel so low

Two months in your home
Where everything had its place
Except for me and all I wanted
There was no space

It was the last time I’d ever see your face
Maybe we never were right, we just lost our way
But I never understood how you seemed okay
While each time the door would close, I always seemed to break

That day in your bedroom
That final blow to my heart
Had to get back to California
Before I fell apart

I grabbed my suitcase from the car
You reached in for a hug
Always so controlled
Never giving anything up

Now I’m on a plane
And you’re already making plans
You’re letting go so fast

It was the last time I’d ever see your face
Maybe we never were right, we just lost our way
But I never understood how you seemed okay
While each time the door would close, I always seemed to break

What did it matter
Four years…whatever, remember that day by the tree
When we shared those hard things
I cried, we agreed to try again
Things would go differently
Wrong again, oh tell me why...

It was the last time I’d ever see your face
Maybe we never were right, we just lost our way
But I never understood how you seemed okay
While each time the door would close, I always seemed to break

Let it Burn (release date TBD)

Violet Pen · Let it Burn featuring Heatherle and Ryan Whyte Maloney

I can say it now, I knew

The signs were always there...

But I loved you

And I thought you'd see it too

That what we shared was oh so rare

But I can’t let this fire die

Was it right or was it wrong
To love you this much
To climb so many mountains
And it never be enough
Did I change for the better
Or do I still have a lot to learn

I wanna keep the flame alive
I can feel the embers
I think I’ll let it burn
I think I’ll let it burn

I can say it now, without breaking
That I know I loved you more
It was devastating
I was always overcompensating
But you were worth fighting for

There was that time you came around
Said you were all in as I was leaving town
I wish I’d been able to stand my ground
Would I be here now?

Was it right or was it wrong
To love you this much
To climb so many mountains
And it never be enough
Did I change for the better
Or do I still have a lot to learn

I wanna keep the flame alive
I can feel the embers
I think I’ll let it burn
I think I’ll let it burn