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My music is speaking to me

I was just doing some general nonsense around the house, listening to some music on iTunes and I noticed a weird pattern in the songs that were playing. I think my music was trying to tell me something. I skipped back through the most recently played songs and tried to understand what the music was saying. I understand that you can hear what you want but I’ll try and explain what I heard:

Richie Havens, “Here Comes The Sun”: One of the cable channels started re-running “The Wonder Years” a while back (they have since stopped, not sure why). During one of the scenes this Beatles cover played. I remember hearing this song when I was younger, when I was in school (like the TV characters were) and I recall the hope of the song. “Here comes the sun and, I say, it’s all right…”

Sarah McLachlan, “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy”: “All the fear has left me now/ I’m not frightened anymore/ It’s my heart that pounds beneath my flesh/ It’s my mouth that pushes out this breath”. I see this as a hopeful sign of the future and things to come. I have to believe these words, I have to.

Argent, “Hold Your Head Up”: Again, the lyrics spoke to me “And if it’s bad/ don’t let it get you down, you can take it”. Again, I saw this as a positive sign.

Bee Gee’s, “You Should Be Dancing”: Okay, not all of them made a perfect fit. I saw this one more as prodding me on, making me move or get up. I don’t know that I should actually be dancing, though.

Shawn Colvin, “New Thing Now”: The title says it all… well, it says most of it. I think the rest are carried in the lyrics “Cards out on the table/ genius without a label”. When I went looking for a new job, someone along the line said ‘shoot for your dream job’. Not knowing what my dream job is put a crimp on that plan. I’d really like to think I’m the genius she’s talking about because I am truly unlabeled.

Bjork, “All Is Full Of Love”:

You'll be given love
You'll be taken care of
You'll be given love
You have to trust it

Maybe not from the sources
You have poured yours
Maybe not from the directions
You are staring at
Twist your head around
It's all around you

All is full of love
All around you

I think this song is really trying to tell me to keep my eyes (and my mind) open, that I don’t know from which side hope is coming. Apparently, it’s all around me.

The Alan Parsons Project, “The Same Old Sun”: When you get into bad situations, it seems like there’s always someone there with advice. Friends, family, co-workers… they all have sentiments that worked for them when they were down that they pass along. Some of it is wheat, some of it is chaff.

Tell me what to do
All the hopes and the dreams went wrong for me
There's a smile on my face
But I'm only pretending

Taking my life
One day at a time
Cause I can't think what else to do
Taking some time
To make up my mind
When there's no one to ask but you

I hope I look back on this entry and smile a little.

Bob Dylan, “Beyond The Horizon”: I think this is really talking about forces (that you can’t control) that are pulling for you. They are the strong, silent types. They want you to do well without any intervention. “Down in the valley the water runs cold/ beyond the horizon someone prayed for your soul”. If you get the chance, track down the video for this song. If you are a fan of Scarlett Johansson, like I am, you will certainly appreciate the loving homage to home movies with her as the star.

Bruce Cockburn, “Wondering Where The Lions Are”: After this song, the ‘message’ I had seen disappeared back into the noise. My mind was at rest and I tried to hear what the universe was telling me.

I had another dream about lions at the door
they weren't half as frightening as they were before

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