Concluding my track-by-track presentation of Brandi Carlile’s In These Silent Days…
Carlile finishes off In These Silent Days with the delicate piano balled ‘Throwing Good After Bad,’ one of the most enigmatic songs on the album. She says it’s about her family — the one she was born into, not the one she made.
It’s a sad, plaintive song and it ends an often hopeful album on a somber note.
I’ve compared some songs on this album to the work of other artists — Joni Mitchell, Elton John, k.d. lang — but every note of this record is brimming with Carlile’s unique talent and personality. Her amazing voice, gift for melody, and empathetic worldview combine for something truly special.
When I did my deep dive into Carlile’s catalog, my personal favorite was 2018’s By the Way, I Forgive You. After a few spins through In These Silent Days, I think it may have claimed the crown.
I know you’re leavin’ me
I know I’m not your home
You want a movie dancer
You want blood from a stone
But I’m on to you
And you will pour your heart into
Any shimmering fad
Throwin’ good after bad
[Verse 2]
People get addicted to
The rush, the chase, the new
Just hopin’ that all that chaos
Will lead to somethin’ like this
I’ll get over you
But you won’t be whole until you do
You won’t find what you had
Throwin’ good after bad
[Pre-Chorus]
And I’ll always feel a little left behind
But that lyin’ wind that calls your name
Will leave you flowin’ blind
[Chorus]
Are you fantasizin’?
You’re takin’ us for granted
I know you’re bored
You always say I’m heavy handed
You got a beautiful mind
And the soul of a coyote
Hunger drivin’ you mad
Throwin’ good after bad
Hunger drivin’ you mad
Throwin’ good after bad
[Verse 3]
I know you loved me once
You were somethin’ to prove
I was an unfinished song
You were nothin’ to lose
I’m a dandelion
And when my color suited you
You allowed me to grow
But you know when you know
And now the party’s over
And you’re dancin’ alone
You’ve been spinnin’ ’round for hours
The band have all gone home
[Chorus]
And you’re fantasizin’
You’re takin’ us for granted
I know you’re bored
You always say I’m heavy handed
You got a beautiful mind
And the soul of a coyote
Hunger drivin’ you mad
Throwin’ good after bad
Hunger drivin’ you mad
Throwin’ good after bad
Hunger drivin’ you mad
Throwin’ good after bad
Hunger drivin’ you mad
Meet Me In Montauk 
This song definitely has a Joni Mitchell vibe, but I agree that Carlile is a special unique artist in her own right, and she has made another wonderful album.