There's Always More Behind a Song

Life over the past month with a singer/songwriter/ rock musician has been interesting to say the least. Although I am not getting the doctor’s recommended eight hours of sleep like I should be, I can’t complain at all about my current situation. I get to hear fantastic music all the time; I am able to critique new lines and bridges of songs (in spite of the fact that I have no clue as to what a “bridge of a song” is); I get to attend invite-only car-sessions to hear the latest and greatest album before its release; and, hopefully, one day when Fight the Quiet makes it superstar huge, there will be a red-carpet affair and/or Grammy winner speech shout-out in my future. 
 

The best part about living with such a talented musician is the fact that no matter what mood he is in, he can create something magical through the strings on his guitar, the feelings within his heart, and the words that come out of his mouth.  He could be on Cloud Nine because a cute girl gave her number to him the night before at a bar. From this will come an optimistic song about the incredibly warm feelings on the inside that comes from that moment when one has a connection with someone for the very first time.  Or if it’s a really bad day and the pain from his newly divorced life is too much to handle, the energy that comes from his hands onto his guitar and from his feet as he stomps out a new, full of rage beat is electrifying. Despite the situation, the words are always real. There’s a story behind each and every lyric. The emotions, although they desperately want to stay hidden forever, come flowing out as if they are trying to run away from themselves. And, to watch all of this as it is unfolding is truly a blessing.

We’ve all been there. We’ve all had spectacular moments of extreme happiness without a care in the world. We’ve also all had the lowest of the low moments when for a slight second living seems unbearable and even foolish in a sense. No matter what the situation and/or outcomes are of the two extremes, we each have our own way of dealing with it. For my roommate, it is music. For me, it is writing. For the girl next door, it may be painting. Put all of these things together, and the world is blessed with beautiful art that is full of emotion and rich in life and life's hardest, yet most incredible experiences.  I am glad that I have finally allowed myself to open up my mind and look at things differently: being able to see the underlying meaning behind things that don't seem very deep on the surface is amazing.  Observing a painting, reading a poem, or listening to a song is magical. There's always more behind a work of art than what one merely sees on the surface. We just have to decide to make the concious effort to look deeper and appreciate everything- the good and the bad- that went into creating the masterpiece. Once we do that, the rewards are limitless.