“‘Run to the Center’ came to me while I was stripping wallpaper,” Cornelia Murr told me. She began renovating an old house in Nebraska, in a town with fewer than a thousand people.
Immersing herself in the renovation process, she spent her days doing hands-on work: drywall, painting, and peeling back stubborn layers of wallpaper.
The physical labor became both a meditative retreat and a grounding force, offering space for reflection during a season of major life decisions.
Lyrics for “Run to the Center”
You’re a salty one make all else seem sweet
Spent a while with you still getting back on my feet
You’re the tiger and the lily
Lunging at me with your cruel beauty
Working on this old house as if it’s my body
If I take care of it it’ll take care of me
Stripping leaves off the centuries
Maps of other worlds obscured destinies
I put you in between
All my wildest dreams and me
I named you the loose string
As if you could ever unravel me
As if you could ever unravel me
Run to the center you got nowhere to be
Run to the center you got nowhere to be
Cornelia Murr’s new album, “Run to the Center,” navigates through life’s challenges and transitions.
I had the lovely opportunity to chat with Cornelia about the album while she is on tour with Matt Maltese
“Meantime” is my favorite on the album. Cornelia sings, “It’s the meantime,” as soft whistles float in like a sigh, underscoring the song’s aching stillness and a portrait of waiting, unraveling, and tenderness.
I told Cornelia, and she said, “The song ‘Meantime’ holds a lot of tension. It’s about knowing a situation isn’t quite right, feeling the need to get out, but being afraid to make the change… and not having done it yet.”
I put this song on my playlists that have the Faye Webster, Freak Slug, and Men I Trust vibes.
“Spiral of Beauty” is another song I need to put on that same playlist.
It begins with blissful drips of water and magical chimes, setting a dreamy, almost hypnotic atmosphere that lingers throughout the song.
Talking with Cornelia Murr only deepened my connection to the album. Her process is intuitive, her lyrics are poetic, and she is so kind. These songs don’t demand anything from you, but they stay with you if you let them.
Whether it’s the aching hesitation of “Meantime” or the dreamy haze of “Spiral of Beauty,” every track offers a place to pause, reflect, and feel.
Please check out Cornelia’s new album, Run to the Center, and catch her on tour with Matt Maltese!
Thank you so much for chatting, Cornelia!
