New Meanings

Have you ever listened to a song that gains new meaning as life happens around you? There have been many for me.

When my sister died 6 years ago, Elton John’s Daniel took on a new meaning. I could understand what I could only imagine before. Lyrics somehow changed in my mind and now had feeling behind them.

Today If We Were Vampires by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit played while my iPhone was playing on shuffle. I’ve listened to that song a bunch of times. It was always a feel good song for me. Today, although still a beautiful song, it had so much more meaning behind it.

It opens with a man talking about seeing his bride in a “long flowing dress” with “light coming off of [her] skin”. The second verse talks about the what ifs of them being vampires and not having to worry about life ending. The chorus, however, had me in tears.

The chorus goes like this: “It’s knowing that this can’t go on forever
Likely one of us will have to spend some days alone
Maybe we’ll get forty years together
But one day I’ll be gone
Or one day you’ll be gone”

My parents have been married for 44 years. My father is dying of cancer. We don’t know how much longer we will have him with us. Today this song has a new meaning.

As life happens, music morphs in my life but it also helps me heal.