Sarah+Georges

Plumb  Tears That Still Drip Sore 

**"I do not want to be afraid, I do not want to die inside just to breathe in, I'm tired of feeling so numb, Relief exists I find it when, I am cut."** - Cut

 media type="custom" key="4641706" width="280" height="280" ==== ** "I'm scared and I'm alone, I'm ashamed, and I need for you to know, I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say, and you can't take back, what you've taken away, 'cause i feel you, I feel you near me." ** - Damaged ====

media type="custom" key="4645661" width="330" height="330" ** “ **** I want to become brave, and courageous, **   ** Not buried in self-pity of my own, **  ** Ashamed and alone from all, **  ** That's been done to me, **  ** It's not my fault I remind myself, **  ** You say you don't be afraid, **  ** But I feel afraid” **  ** -Unforgivable media type="youtube" key="OJjv757TMRM" height="289" width="353" ** Tears That Still Drip Sore Although many do not know who she is, she as affected many lives in the world. Plumb originally know as Tiffany Arbuckle is a Christian Contemporary artist who also dips into the genre of [|Alternative rock], [|Christian alternative rock] ,  [|Pop] , [|Dance] , and  [|Electronica]. Where she got the name Plumb is unknown, however she wanted to stand out, be someone different. Christian Contemporary music, also known as inspirational music because it focuses on issues and matters of Christian Faith such as feeling alone, giving up, seeking help or solace other places. As a singer and songwriter she has been described by Christian Music Today as, “An artist whose provocative, intoxicating music blends the complex, feminine poignancy of Suzanne Vega with the sophisticated, modern Rock 'n' Roll of Garbage to create something timeless yet cutting-edge.” Tiffany was born on March 9, 1975 in Indianapolis, but raised in Atlanta surrounded by many older brothers. She grew up with a long set of mahogany hair and high cheek bones, and at the age of 34 she still has those attributes. While Growing up music was a part of her everyday life; she grew up in church, singing in the choir and school choir. Even though music was something that she enjoyed to participating in, education was the number one thing for her. Her lifelong dream was to become a nurse. However, money was an issue and that started her on the path of her music career. At the age of nineteen, she took a job as a backup singer for a well known artist. As years passed, Plumb was starting to become well-known and when she was twenty one she was signed onto Curb Record as a solo artist. She never really intended to have singing become her primary career, “My thought was that singing would be a great way to earn money for school, but I had //no intention// whatsoever of making music my career.“ When asked why she wanted to address a difficult subject she answered, “I also want to tackle the //difficult// subjects in life, because I want people to know that the hard times, just like a piece of coal, can be turned into a diamond.” She wanted to let her fans know that she knows what they’re going through, and even though she hasn’t experienced it, she knows the feeling of being hopeless. (Warner Records 1). Plumb put out her first album in 1997, self titled “Plumb”. Since then Tiffany has made 5 albums and has a new one coming out this year titled “Beautiful History”. Plumb’s music is often very controversial, heartfelt, and honest, because she sings about issues that no one really likes to address and that’s abuse. As a Christian artist, one wouldn’t expect for her songs to be focused on cutting or rape. The usual topics of a Christian song would be about faith, love, and God always being there. Plumb’s songs talk about death, and pain, and loss. And while both Christian songs and Plumb’s songs are different they are also similar in that it gives the listeners something to relate and connect to. Plumb addresses many social issues in her songs but the one prominent issue that is stressed in her songs is abuse, self abuse, and sexual abuse. Abuse is hard to deal with and studies show that when one is going through the trauma of abuse it can be hard to get help or even, talk about it. Most of Plumb’s songs have been co-written with her best friend and neighbor, [|Matt Bronleewe]. She says that without him, her songs would’ve never been the same. Her first work that addresses abuse is one of her most popular songs “Cut” This song speaks about the somber subject of self-abuse known as cutting. Self-injury, self-harm, or deliberate self-harm is intentional infliction of harm to the body surface. In the song, the lyrics provide a deeper understanding for victims of self abuse, even if it isn’t cutting, “ These acts may be aimed at relieving otherwise [|unbearable]  [|emotions], and/or sensations of unreality and numbness ” (Wikipedia). One of the lines in her song really expressed the feelings that a self-abused victim would feel, “I do not want to be afraid, I do not want to die inside just to breathe in, I’m tired of feeling so numb, Relief exists I find it when, I am cut”(lyricsmania). Plumbs inspiration for that song came from a young girl who had posted on her website’s blog that she was a cutter and she was asking if there was anyone out there like her. It motivated Plumb to write a song, “ That was just so powerful and poetic to me that it was the inspiration behind Cut, and I certainly didn't write it because I understand it completely and I know how to fix that problem. It was more or less to create conversation so that when someone hears it, if nothing else they feel less alone knowing that there's someone else out there like them going through a similar thing and to give them a tool to start talking about it” (Slomowicz). Sexual abuse is one of the most rising type of abuse today, whether it’s incest, rape, or molestation. Another of Plumb’s work that addresses self abuse is “Damaged”, which focuses on sexual abuse. The song attends to a child managing with the trauma of being molested by her loved one. The song gives her fans and sexually abused victim’s courage to stand up for what happened to them. It also gives her fans the chance to relate to someone, to give the reassurance that there somewhere out there that cares. One lines in her song lets her fans say what they’ve always wanted to say, “I’m scared and I’m alone, I’m ashamed, And I need for you to know, I didn’t say all the things that I wanted to say, And you can’t take back, what you’ve taken away, ‘cause I feel you, I feel you near me” (Lyrics time). Verbal abuse while might not seem like a type of abuse, many Americans suffer this kind of abuse daily. It targets ones self-esteem, self worth, and emotional health. Emotional abuse is the result of power imbalance which usually occurs in abusive relationships, child abuse, or bullying. Victims of emotional or verbal abuse are never really given a chance to stand up for themselves or fight back. Plumb gave her fans a chance to finally be able to relate to others and to be able to have strength in even the toughest of times. She let her fans know that they aren’t alone in this. One of the lines in her song “Unforgivable” show the struggle that emotionally and verbally abused victims go through, “ I want to become brave, and courageous,  Not buried in self-pity of my own, Ashamed and alone from all, That's been done to me, It's not my fault I remind myself, You say you don't be afraid, But I feel afraid” (Music Song). Plumb’s songs described in this paper have a mellow rock instrumentation, an emotional female lead vocalist, mixed acoustic, extensive vamping, and a subtle use of vocal harmony. Plumb connects with her audience using her lyrics as a medium to get her message across. She uses metaphors in her songs, so that everyone can interpret it in a way that fits best for her fans. It gives her fans the chance to turn her songs into a stress reliever, a diary, a person to talk to; relate to; someone who understands them; who won’t judge them. Plumbs goal as an artist is to let everyone know that you don’t have to be alone, even in the worst of times, “Those songs opened the floodgates for abuse victims to have conversations about what they were going through, and helped to define my mission as an artist. I decided to dedicate one song on each album to people who are hurting, because these songs have let people know that they’re not alone, which is the first step to healing.” Plumb’s songs make a difference in people’s lives and at the same time she tackles one of the most growing difficult social issues of our time, Abuse.

Cut I'm not a stranger No I am yours With crippled anger And tears that still drip sore

A fragile flame aged Is misery And when our hearts meet I know you see

I do not want to be afraid I do not want to die inside just to breathe in I'm tired of feeling so numb Relief exists I find it when I am cut

I may seem crazy Or painfully shy And these scars wouldn't be so hidden If you would just look me in the eye I feel alone here and cold here Though I don't want to die But the only anesthetic that makes me feel anything kills inside

I do not want to be afraid I do not want to die inside just to breathe in I'm tired of feeling so numb Relief exists I find it when I am cut Pain I am not alone I am not alone

I'm not a stranger No I am yours With crippled anger And tears that still drip sore

But I do not want to be afraid I do not want to die inside just to breathe in I'm tired of feeling so numb Relief exists I found it when I was cut

Damaged Dreaming comes so easily 'cause it's all that i've known True love is a fairy tale I'm damaged, so how would i know

I'm scared and i'm alone I'm ashamed And i need for you to know

I didn't say all the things that i wanted to say And you can't take back what you've taken away 'cause i feel you, i feel you near me

I didn't say all the things that i wanted to say

And you can't take back what you've taken away 'cause i feel you, i feel you near me

Healing comes so painfully And it chills to the bone Will anyone get close to me? I'm damaged, as i'm sure you know

There's mending for my soul An ending to this fear Forgiveness for a man who was stronger I was just a little girl, but i can't go back

Unforgivable I'm never told that I am pretty I'm never told that I am kind And my soul burns now with fire Deep inside I want to become brave and courageous Not buried in self-pity of my own Ashamed and alone from all That's been done to me It's not my fault I remind myself You say you don't be afraid But I feel afraid You say you don't laugh or cry But I show emotion You say food will be on the table And birds in the sky But I'm hungry So hungry And it's cloudy outside You never loved me like a daughter You never even loved yourself And now you treat me like a burden Just another object on your shelf I want you to know that I love you And this pain that I carry's not my own Ashamed and alone From all that's been done to you It's not your fault I remind myself No matter what I've done Or is done to me Nothing unforgivable Or unable to be set free

Works Cited "Assistance, resources, and information for victims and survivors of sexual abuse." Rosenberg and Associates. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . Arbuckle, Tiffany, and Matt Bronleewe. //Lyricsmania.com//. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . Arbuckle, Tiffany, and Matt Bronleewe. //Lyrics.time.com//. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. . Arbuckle, Tiffany, and Matt Bronleewe. //Musicsonglyrics.com//. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . "Plumb." //Christianmusic.com//. Curb/Warner Records. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . "Psychological Abuse." //Wikipedia//. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . "Self Injury." //Wikipedia//. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. . Slomowicz, DJ Ron. "Plumb Interview." //About.com//. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. .