Sunday, April 16, 2006

"Teardrop"

We don't always have enough time in our lives to sit back, empty our heads and just drink in the moment - whether it's a sunlit field a million miles from anywhere, a dark rainy evening at home, or standing still in the midst of a sea of hurrying, hassled people. We all seem to have too much to do, too many tasks to complete before the day ends. Or, as the saying goes, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."
Here's a song that can stop you dead in your tracks, bring your senses down from their constantly-heightened state of alert, a song that just says "repose". Listening to this is like pressing the "pause" button. From the moment the lazy beat gently gives way to Liz Fraser's gorgeous folksy voice, and the gentle chord progression wraps you up in a blanket of calm, you're in another place.
This isn't the sort of peace you find when you're lying in the arms of a loved one, or the sort of peace that comes from comfort and safety. This is the peace that comes from the lifting of a heavy burden, the loss of the hundred little stresses that make up each day, when you leave this world behind for just a few moments. The music is simple and minimal enough to let you wander off; it doesn't demand your full attention - instead, it's a gentle spell, cast upon a furrowed brow. And that's just about the most precious thing we can ask for sometimes.

1 comment:

Evil Minx said...

"the peace that comes from the lifting of a heavy burden, the loss of the hundred little stresses that make up each day"

As always, the perfect linguistic touch to a description of a song that holds a dearplace in my heart.

Liz Fraser may be unaware of my existence, but i thank all that is holy for hers, mostly for her part in this song.

One of my favourites, in case you didn't realise..