Dear reader, when's the last time you've been riveted by a new interest? When is the last time you found yourself involved in a pursuit which engaged you on every level and made you chafe at the other demands on your time such as laundry, dishes and, most odious of all, personal hygiene?
Lately I've tried my hand at music composition, which has been like teaching my brain ninja moves and setting it upon a tiny chocolate pillow.
I've been writing choral music for my church choir, I've written a little duet for Izzy and me, and recently I decided to try a more mainstream avenue: pop music. The only problem is, I don't listen to a lot of pop music. And that is a problem when you sit down to compose your own. It helps to have a muse. It helps to have someone blaze a trail.
Left to my own devices, I wondered what I could write about. My life experiences do not seem especially represented by the songs my girls like on the radio. And I think you have to write about what resonates with you, if I'm not mistaken? Like, how could I write about partying and boy crushes, bling and fast cars, or whatever happens to be selling like hotcakes these days?
It would be so fake.
Anyway, so this is my first attempt at lyrics. This is my demographic. I don't exactly see it shooting to number one on the charts anytime soon, but this is what resonates with me:
Wake up, darlin’, roll outta bed,
There are lunches to make and you’re all out of bread,
But you’ll figure it out ‘cause somehow you always do.
There are bills to pay and papers to sign,
There's small talk, you smile and say you’re doing fine,
Maybe you are and maybe you’re not--
Sometimes you’re just too busy to know.
Life can play nice and life can play hard,
It doesn’t always look like a tropical postcard
And you’re not always wishing you were here.
But the world outside keeps spinning around,
At the end of the day, the sun’s going down,
And darlin’, hang on, I just wanna say:
Everything is all right and you’re gonna be okay.
Look in the mirror, but not too close,
Make the best of what you’ve got
Then dance away on your tiptoes
There’s someone out there whose day hinges on your smile.
Your plants are dead, what does that say about you?
Your library books are overdue
What kind of mother forgets to pick up her kids from school?
Not everything’s gonna be easy, you know,
That’s the fine print on life:
The word “fair” went out the window.
But the world outside keeps spinning around,
At the end of the day, the sun’s going down,
And darlin’, hang on, I just wanna say:
Everything is all right and you’re gonna be okay.
When heartache hits and runs you down
Your whole world stops and you start losing ground,
Darlin’, that’s when I’m coming back for you.
The world’s still filled with magical things--
There are nests in the trees,
And butterfly wings,
A cold stream slips over silvery sand,
A smooth stone fits in the palm of your hand,
Fireflies glow in the fading light,
Rabbits get sleepy and snuggle up tight,
Underneath a canopy of falling stars,
The most beautiful thing
Is what you are.
You’re gonna be okay, you’re gonna be okay,
Mmmhmm
So darlin’, hang on, I just wanna say:
Everything is all right and you’re gonna be okay.
Should I even bother writing the music? Can you picture this single hitting the clubs? Because the part about getting up to make lunches and realizing you're out of bread?
That's sexy, right??