Tapestry

Music is said to be the universal language. It is the paint we use to fill the canvas of our lives, with every stroke it creates a portrait. Lyrics employ memories and emotions to weave a tapestry which tells one’s own unique story which is known solely to the artist himself. Have you ever noticed that a single song can paint you a picture and take you back to a precise moment in time; instantly recall a specific emotion, feeling, or even a specific scent? The beauty of music is that the while the lyrical prose of a songwriter conveys the author’s thoughts and emotions, it allows anyone to take ownership of the spoken word to apply and convey their own personal meaning. I love music and I love this challenge! So many to choose from, I suppose I’ll just have to share a couple of random pages from my own story. One about emotion and one that take me back in time to those vivid dream-like memories.

“In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade

and he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his shame I am leaving, I am leaving.

But the the fighter still remains.” - Paul Simon’s The Boxer

Such a beautiful song about perseverance and life in general. I so often feel like life knocks me down for the count and like the Boxer, I want to hang it all up and leave. But, like the boxer I pick myself up and stand again because “the fighter still remains.”

“We spotted the ocean at the head of the trail

Where are we going, so far away?

And somebody told me that this is the place,

Where everything better, everything’s safe.” - Toad the Wet Sprocket  Walk on the Ocean

Some of my fondest memories are from a time in my life in which I was blessed with the opportunity to live on a tropical island, many would call it paradise - I certainly did. All it takes is hearing the first note of this song and I am instantly transported to a place of lucidity. A vivid dream like state takes hold of me, and once again I can feel the gentle trade winds caress my skin in heat of the tropical sun. The scent of saltwater permeates the air I breathe, and the sound of crashing waves engulf every fiber of my consciousness. For a brief moment in time, I’m home.