Long December

"It's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember the last thing that you said as you were leaving
Now the days go by so fast
And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven...I wish you would"
--the Counting Crows

I think that last line is just so sweet and somehow poignant. It's partly the melody, but I love the way the words shape that feeling. And although that's the chorus they only say that line once; it turns into "If you think you might come to California...I think you should" and then "It's been so long since Ive seen the ocean...I guess I should." It's really a lovely song.

Ambition

"Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine."
--Elvis Presley

And that's what sets apart those who want to be from those who become.

When U Love Somebody

"Baby, remember on the bus and my hand was on your knee
When U love somebody it's hard to think about anything but to breathe
Baby, I am the cub who was washed out in the flood
When U love somebody and bite your tongue all you get is a mouthful of blood"
--the Fruit Bats

I'm not sure what the "U" is all about, but I love this song. I like the implication that being in love doesn't change the way things happen to you (you still bleed when you bite your tongue) and I also really love the description of how you can be totally consumed by it (it's hard to think about anything but to breathe).

The Light

"It's the light that's changing
It's the light that's changing
It's the light that's changing
It's only the light
What can I do to defy you
What can I do to deny you
'cause I want no part of this breaking
This is a hurtful mistake you are making
And to me this love was true and shining
Oh, these years were real and defining
Please, please don't forget how much I meant to you
When, when you are redefined by someone new"
--Mason Jennings, from "The Light (Part II)"

I first learned of Mason Jennings when I heard "Fighter Girl" on XPN, and it was one of those songs that I had to write down some lyrics so I could find it when I got home. I've since acquired (through emusic, legally!) many more of his songs, and I am always struck by his beautifully apt word choice. This song in particular is so gentle and rolling if you listen to it--certainly because of the music, but I think also the rhymes help to create that feeling. And what I really love is that they don't feel forced or manipulated at all. It's as though rather than pushing the words together as many do, he picked carefully through a whole mass of words and assembled the ones that belonged together.

Talent

"Talent is a species of vigor"
--Hoffer

If You Can't See Me Happy

"If you can't see me happy well just look the other way"
--from "Selfish Jean" by Travis

I love this line. Says exactly what you want to say to your ex--I'm happy and I bet that bugs you--but subtly enough and with just the right amount of attitude.

Dubious Sugar

"Do not sprinkle any dubious sugar on my destiny"
--J.D. Salinger

From one of his short stories. My friend was reading it a few weeks ago and stopped to read that part aloud, and I'm so glad he shared cuz that's awesome. But I have to say, I'd take any kind of sugar, dubious or otherwise. I'm not too concerned about the legitimacy of good luck at the moment.

You Dont Know What Love Is

"You don't know what love is
you just do as you're told"
--the White Stripes

I'm sure we've all experienced that moment, when someone tells you they love you and you just want to respond with "no you don't" but it seems kind of rude or harsh or just somehow inappropriate and instead you have to either pretend you didn't hear it or say it back . . . not that I think that's what this song is about, but somehow both the situation and that part of the song were in my head at the same time and I thought "why not."

Awful Things

I've been thinking some lately about the horrible things that can happen--those things you dread your whole life and always push away, trying to keep them in the far recesses of your mind, but sometimes they come close, happening even to you or to people you know:


now I know about my parents' worry
that look of grave concern my father sometimes wore no longer seems so foreign
they knew the ugly truth that I had yet to realize
that violence is often unprovoked,
that bad things can happen to good people

they knew too the validity of fear
had an understanding of which I was still innocent:
how inconceivable the mere thought, let alone the act
of moving on
of continuing with life
should (true and awful) tragedy strike

A Different Life

“You’re daring to accept that you could have a different life” –You’ve Got Mail

This is not exactly a source from which you expect deep or important lines (although I do really love the movie) but I find these words to be very perceptive. This really is a big part of what makes change so scary (in addition to the whole giving up who you are thing) and sometimes so wonderful.

A man I worked with until recently had been at that company for over 10 years, and as far as I know had always followed pretty much the same career path. Just a few months ago he left to--get this--become an intern on a farm, learning all about sustainable living and working the land. This is a guy who's in like his mid-to-late 30's and had a job and an apartment and a life that was going just fine, and he has dropped it all to try something new. Part of the reason he can do this is that he isn't a father or a husband, but more importantly it's something in him that allowed him to consider other possibilities even when he was comfortable. So far change has always been set out for me: my parents move, I graduate high school, I graduate college. But I'm sure it can be so easy to get settled in a way of life and just stop questioning it, stop wondering whether there was anything else you ever wanted, and go with the flow. I so admire this man for having the perspective to question what he wanted separately from what he had, and then the bravery to pursue the other desires he discovered. I hope that I will find something similar within myself and will never wake up to find that I have lived my life complacently, to become only satisfied and never truly happy and fulfilled.

More Joy

". . . and what do I care if joy is out of fashion nowadays . . ."
--Milan Kundera, The Joke

She Splits Her Lip

"Then they kiss so hard she splits her lip."
--Brendan Adkins, from one of his stories

The story this comes from was the main one up when I Stumbled across Adkins's website last year, and I was struck by this line. Without saying it directly, the author perfectly conveys the hesitating, vulnerable desire of the girl and the immediate pain of giving in.

Joy

"Let sadness never be linked with my name"
--Milan Kundera, from The Joke

A simple hope, but what more could you want?