Editor’s note: Hear Nebraska’s annual Take Cover fundraiser asks Nebraska songwriters to play two songs — one original and one cover of a song by another Nebraska artist. Take Cover is at The Waiting Room on Jan. 23 (RSVP) and at The Bourbon on Jan. 30 (RSVP). Each year, we ask a handful of songwriters to discuss the songs they’ve chosen.

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I’ve known Logan [Vath] since I was in middle school. Both growing up in Scottsbluff, we shared a few close friends and I’ve always known him to be an immensely talented songwriter. Norfolk, Virginia is where he currently calls home and spends most of his time as a musician. About a year ago he came through Lincoln on tour and played Meadowlark Coffee on his way. The place was packed with faces I’ve recognized as long as Logan’s from back home. With all the members of blét hailing from the western side of the state, we wanted to share a lesser known Nebraskan treasure with the eastern side.

“Forever Your Curse” is a love song that doesn’t paint a fairy tale like far too many do. It instead, in a multitude of profound ways, says “I’m not perfect but you make me better.” I think it’s extremely refreshing in that sense. It’s a love song for the realist. The song sways from eloquent verse to eloquent verse, into moments of rigid intensity and back down again, all bookended by a reminder to the person addressed that they are forever his curse. The song also captures some scenes from our native Western Nebraskan landscape, painting a picture of rain and rising prairie that are aesthetics we hope to create in our own songs.