Imagine that some time near the end of your life, you'll be sitting quietly somewhere, reflecting on all the things that came and went, happened and didn't, joys and sorrows...and all the while this montage will be accompanied by a song - a song that captures the essence of you, a thread through the soul of your being, a song that makes your own heart sing when you hear it.
You all do this. Right? (Seriously, don't answer. I know most people don't and that's okay.)
For a long time, I thought that song was, "Joyful Girl," by Ani DiFranco. In all honestly, the song is not as joyful as I usually am, BUT it holds two lines that I think capture parts of me:
- "I do it because I am a joyful girl." (duh)
- "This world owes us nothing, we owe each other the world." (This just resonates with how I tend to approach things.)
Well. A new song has entered my life, my soul and I suspect it will never leave. It's called "Boat Song" and none of you will be surprised to learn that it is written and performed by my brother and Mira as The Sea The Sea. I'm pretty shameless about my love for my brother's music, but this song, even Bill agrees, is really something special.
First, it's about a couple imagining buying a boat they see on the side of the road. This, in itself, earns a huge chunk of my love. I'm one of those passengers/drivers who imagines who might have built that tire swing, live in that house over there, drive that dirty old tractor in the distance, and so on.
There are ocean references. 'Nuf said.
I don't exactly know how to explain this next part...the word "we." When they sing it you can feel the togetherness of it. And, in my mind, it's a kind of "we" that makes me think of all the years Bill and I have been loving and fighting and kissing and laughing and grocery shopping and just being the WE that we are. It rings of time. A we that will last until we're old and our grandkids are helping us up the stairs and coming over to shovel our walks. (Yes, in my imagined future they live close enough to come over and do that....)
THEN, the song has this rolling melody that is as open and exhilarating as that gust of wind that greets you as you cross over the dunes to face the ocean on an early summer day. Aaahhhh..... My heart literally feels like it's opening up and soaring during some parts. And then, of course, there are the beautiful harmonies and instrumentals....this song....it will be playing in my head for...well...my brother and Mira are young, there is a chance they could top this, but I'm not sure. Until then, all current and future life montages will be playing along to this song.
And now for the bad part. You can't hear this song. Not now.* And I can't tell you when. It may or may not have made the cut for the upcoming (incredibly awesome) album (I've heard the first rough cut, it's really great, biased aside, truly). They promised to release it, though. So, you will hear it one day. I will blast it on Facebook and where ever else there are speakers I can plug into. For now your imagination will have to suffice.
And, if, by some freak accident you have NOT visited their website or considered pre-ordering their upcoming album, I wouldn't be a good sister if I didn't include the following link:
http://theseathesea.com
*Psst, if you come over to my house, I can play it for you....but until then and/or the release of the song you are out of luck!
