photo by Alastair Humphreys
Find your groove in the sound, keep it for yourself.
Week 11, day 75 – day and night, sun or rain….weekday, weekend? Does it matter? How do we do this? I’ve written my thoughts down many times the past 11 weeks and then scrapped it all. I usually only compose originals in one way or another. With all due respects, regurgitating is as exciting to me as a guitar without strings, but for this – for capturing the musical emotion of extreme isolation, we’re focusing on the heartfelt words of others.
So, how do we do this? I answer with the only response that I get…. I don’t know.
But we’ll make it through with another point of view. And I’ve chosen to build four walls under what can be a roof of straw – that I enjoy repairing when the wind dishevels its face, to awaken with major bed-head. I just stay right here,…only right here.
So, how do we do this?
Well, let’s build a virtual campfire. Maybe we can zoom? Just for 45 minutes because I don’t want to pay the subscription fee.
What I did here was essentially build a quarantine playlist. These are songs that have been by my side, stuffed in my pocket, hovering above or just a long for the ride. In those certain moments of being still, sometimes lines strike me. They maybe short phrases or longer profound landscapes, and certainly they are all different in meaning, but to me, they filter to one thing… nothing, not even the tiniest of moments is ever to be taken for granted again. Sweat gratitude and when that feather floats overhead, you grab it immediately.
Here they are. The extracted lyrics of my “Q tunes” – arranged in a way where to me, perhaps they form a song or poem of their own.
photo by Alastair Humphreys
Seven o’clock in the morning, got a message from afar
Down under an oasis where there are dreams still being born
Moved on from my despondency and left it in the bed
Do I leave it there still sleeping or maybe kill it, better yet?
The light was leaving in the west it was blue
The children’s laughter sang…
And skipping just like the stones they threw
Sunlight, ain’t it good to feel alright
Ain’t it good to know that you’re not alone
It’s good to hear music playing in my town
I know it’s rude to ask, but
Please keep me on your mind as I throw you in my tail lights
I think I know the answer
I stumbled on and all the world fell down
And all the sky went silent
Cracked like glass and slowly
Tumbled to the ground
All the red lights, how they are
Burning down the highway
..the wind blew down my line
Get me out of my way
I’m still learning how to walk in my fire
Don’t ask me where it ends, when I don’t know where it starts
And I knew its name
And when the time is right, I hope that you respond
Like you, I keep it in
As long as I’ve been here, never could I steer clear of myself
For this is no time for depression or self-indulgent hesitance
This fucked-up situation calls for all hands, hands on deck
We’re all alone in this together
And sometimes we carry more weight than we own
You’re lookin’ tired, but you don’t look scared
We’re distracted by the hard times, and the troubles that we make
Let us throw them in the ocean, let it wash our cares away
Pick up here and chase the ride
The river empties to the tide
Fall into the ocean
All of these lines will all be erased soon
They go out with the tide then come back with the waves
It’s only the ocean and you
It’s all in tune when you look up
In the sun we are found to be reflections of a sound
When nobody is around
Find your groove in the sound
Keep it for yourself
It’s alright to be alone
To listen for a heartbeat, it’s your own
Be here now
Makes much more sense to live in the present tense
That will be me
The choice is yours
Why doesn’t anyone believe in loneliness?
Stand up and everyone will see…
Your holiness
It’s not who you were, it’s who you are
And we’ve come this far…
I won’t rest, ’til the world knows the name…….
Now you’re a former home
I have grown
Chose to go
And I’m not sure what to do
With the memory of you
Who you are is never far from where you’re from
Why can’t you get closer?
They say if you look hard
You’ll find your way back home
One lovely day
I’m just here to fight the fire
A man ain’t a man unless he has desire
I get an itch and when I am scratching, everything can go to hell
We go through anything for what we love
The one true thing we can count on
Love can only heal
You can’t rush your healing
You can’t take your money with you down down down the drain
But why would I want to when it just seems so easy to?
Confusing use of time
I know you’re scared, can’t see the light
Got to believe it’s gonna be alright
Lean on me and I’ll lean on you
And together, we’ll get through
We always do
Here and now
Can’t hold me down
Won’t hold us down
Share the light
Won’t hold us down.
photo by: Jeff Gorra
Key (lyrics by): Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Switchfoot, KBong, Ripe, Soundgarden, Amos Lee, Trevor Hall, The Vindys, Hozier, Eddie Vedder, 311, Star Ana, Candlebox, Brandi Carlile, Paolo Nutini, REM, Citizen Cope, Silverchair, Stick Figure, Incubus, Cake, Kings of Leon, Emerson Hart, Will Dailey, Ray LaMontagne.
Follow: @JeffGorra
JeffGorra@ArtistWaves.com
