The first thing that stood out in this photo were the fiery, bright and brilliant colors which evoked so much passion and vibrancy. Then I noticed the nostalgic road trailing off into the distance. I sat down at the piano and these lyrics just leapt forth “I stood out on the road and watched as you were leaving. Leaves were dancing oranges and reds” and I thought Yep, I know this girl and I love her! I imagined her standing there, watching her lover leaving down this road with the wind blowing and all the leaves flying around her and I wrote “they circled all around me like confetti on fire.” I could feel the fire she felt for this man. In this song, my character is looking back at this scene from her life and owning her passion and her vulnerability. The bridge of the song is special for me ‘cause it reconciles my character’s childhood feelings about passion and fire being ‘unforgivable’ and her adult compassion for that child: “I went down to the church. I offered my confession. I swore I’d never do it again. I swore I learned my lesson. But every year the leaves appear, your memory comes sweet and clear. I never will forget you and I never did regret you.” I love her ownership of her past, her fire, her passion and the consequences of all of it.