Synthesis in a Painted House was written 10 years ago when I was 16. I had made friends with some recent graduates from my school who worked at the local airstream coffeeshop. They took me in as one of their own, and one of them even gave me my first guitar lessons. I'd go over to their old creaky house in downtown Winston-Salem, NC (my home town) to hang out, play guitar, and listen to music. The house was painted all these beautiful pastel colors, and the atmosphere was always so positive and warm. This song, as abstract as the lyrics are, was born out of the feeling of belonging those people and that house provided me.