Tuesday

FREE WRITING

Random scribblings that i hope will lead me somewhere. kind of like scattering beans on the floor and hoping to make a shape out of them.. a bunny, an ak-47...anything!

i like how a song gets under your skin and takes over you in an all consuming, almost obsessive way...i need to sing it..i need to know it...know about it and maybe play it. and then, without any warning or signs of fading, it gets out. Completely in its own time.. like a dog with a ball...there's no determinant to say how long and or even why its there..but it is. I suppose i identify with unreasonable and non-explanatory right now. Maybe I just like its inconsequential nature"...and all she sees is the rain.."

~~~


i recently spent an alice in wonderland afternoon on the net (if you ever have the time...and you will...just get onto wiki and type in a word and then just read about it and click on any link at random and keep going till you dont..it sometimes leads you to some pretty special places..and no i don't mean porn....this time anyhow!) and i somehow found myself reading up about all these 50's and 60's music stars' lives ..marvin gaye jn., sam cooke, etc... and i learnt that these people's lives were as twisted as their music was clean and sweet! (ok granted that songs like "lets get it on" arent really wholesome but somehow everything from those eras sounded "safe" or benign really) ...and for some reason thats left a bad taste in my mouth (albeit the kind of taste thats so minor you blame it on the water or something). I mean i couldve gone through life without knowing that Marvin, who was a twisted porn, freaky masochistic, group voyuer (basically pretty much everything!) sex addict, heroin junkie, was shot dead by his abusive cross-dressing father!! I know its not really a big deal but trust me, this unpleasent thought will pass through your heads the next time you hear an all time great song like "sexual healing" and "let's get it on"!! I suppose its just one of those santa claus moments and largely just the general emotion of dulling one feels when they find one more layer of belief being stripped away in favour of reality. so much for growing up!

~~~

i find myself caught many times between what life is, and what life is supposed to be by now. That last about 5 minutes and then I start to wonder about just how or why do we think about how its supposed to be!! How did that general set if ideals come about anyhow? is all of society, social behavior, right and wrong, good and evil, based on a set of notions? and if so, again, how did we come about them and who came up with them anyhow?? besides these questions themselves, just think about the right/ wrong notion for a second - who determined that throwing a stone at someone was wrong and smiling was right? was it just one power mad prehistoric chief somewhere who went about saying yes / no, or was it based on your human physical reactions to something. And if thats the case i understand when one gets hit by a stone and bleeds, its easier to feel that the stone throwing was wrong...but does one feel pain only when something wrong is done??
coming back to the general life notions...we've always been told that money will get made, the love of our lives will fly in and we'll get married, and we'll live out our lives and everything will be alright. But will it? who here can honestly say they were sitting at their desk closing their million (pick your currency) deal with a person ( who they fell in love with the second they laid eyes on them) and are now getting married?!

i dont know where im going with this..but it felt good to scatter the beans. now i think ill wait for someone to help me make the bunnies, or ak-47's or whatever!

Insert Title Here


Yes i have no real title! and while i know what i want to write about, im currently fighting back the worst case of inertia ever (i'm sure this will pop up at various stages of this post)! as a result i may go off on an entirely different tangent for no apparent reason (though im sure after i read it i'll get back on track) .. um...how do they get those ships into those tiny glass bottles??

so anyways, i had this thought (yes singular) a while back and i sort of scribbled it down for later (cos apparently i dont have too many thoughts so i should remember the ones i do - inane as they are) and came across it today - Would we take the actions / the decisions that we do if we truly understood the consequences? And i dont just mean the short term immediate results but the actual eventual outcomes?

I guess this has a lot to do with knowing your future or looking back on things youve done and wonder just why you did them.

We've all been to palmists / tarot readers /numerologists / tantrics / gypsies / or the funny lady who lives under a tree or know people who've gone to them. Some people get a sense of stability and security in knowing what (possibly) lies ahead. Some do it when things arent working out and you want to try to get some explanation for it. And then there are the lot who are curious enough to go to them, but aren't serious at all and usually just find it amusing .... but whatever be the reason, the remotest possibility of knowing ones future makes the person take whatever step available, and thats because the prize is too great. But then that too makes me think - Does knowing your future make it happen? i mean, for example, if one knows that they're gonna be getting a divorce 10 years down the line because the wife slept with your best friend (yes i realize that the tantrics are usually not that specific) would you stop talking to your best friend right now? or to approach it from the right side up - if i know that i'm going to commit a crime 10 years form now, an i avoid doing it by changing my steps? how will i know what steps lead to committing the crime anyways? hmmm now that time's come up, the whole theory of relativity is just too complex to take in. The thought that there is no present, future or past and that we and everything around us is existing at the same time is just mind boggling. And while i wont pretend to understand the theory itself (im pretty sure even my basic understanding of it is askewed) i refuse to believe that im being born, graduating from school, getting married, having kids, grandkids and dieing right now! ok so i went off on that for a bit!

This whole thought vs. action thing came about as i thought about the honey bee. What is their deal anyways? and what does nature try to tell us with them? Is nature saying that you should die to protect your home? Or are we to understand that the honey bee is just one strange suicidal creature with a bad anger management problem!!? The way i see it, i just think noone has explained the whole process to them yet, and while they must see it happen infront of them (with their billions of fallen comrades) they must be thinking that the enemy did that - those bastards!! why they were not told about the whole dieing bit i wont get into (though its quite obvious - i mean if i was a general sending troops into battle, i wouldnt wanna highlight the fact that the only weapon my soldier had would kill them for sure..it may be a slight mood killer!) but i do believe that the honey bee's approach would be a lot different had they known what would happen if they stung someone! im sure theyd be more than willing to sit down and figure out some sort of negotiation (though it would be quite a chore trying to talk in beenese! and i wouldnt know the first place to look for a mediator who practises bee laws and negotiations! and how much honey would i be willing to settle for? hmmmm i like honey!!)

I guess what im trying to say is that if you really think about it, you may come to realise that telling someone off or eating that extra piece of cake or taking that hectic job may not be that important down the line. After all, who knows what chain of events will cause the eventual outcome.

I realise that ofcourse the eventual outcome for everything is zero so knowing that you could either do nothing at all (since it wont matter anyways) or do everything because in that respect, short term seems to rock!

And i suppose then, that the best that we can really do, is do the best with what time we have here...and whatever we try to forecast and plan our decision by is really the closest thing we have to a good idea. and beyond that its impossible to see.

I guess for me, ill think about the problem for a looong time, and then pretty much do whatever feels right at the time (and whatever my buddy King Fish Er tells me to do - he's kinda wise and all knowing :))

Sunday

To Be

To be fluid. To be poured from a bottle and to lose all sense of shape or form, only to be molded by the next empty vessel. Or to flow down a mountain swallowing rocks and life and mud and move on tirelessly till you stretch out endlessly across the face of the earth. To mix in with anything, to be mixed, be influenced and influence. Let something drop inside you and be lost in you, to change with you. If only I could be splashed out on the ground and left to permeate, to seep, to sink, to absorb and be absorbed. To not feel anything, but be part of everything. No more thoughts, dreams, aspirations, stress, worry, guilt, happiness, shame, pride, love, fear, joy or anger. No thinking about the next day, but being part of it. Being it. Enter in a body, fill it, saturate it. And when you can go no further, take flight. Evaporate. Swirl around in the air. Be taken in in a breathe. Fly, infect. Be the air and float away.

To be the sand. To be small yet strong and complete. To need nothing. To be nothing. To have no need to be anywhere and yet feel fulfilled. If only I could break into a billion particles and yet feel whole. To be real and hard and solid and yet ride away on the wind.

To lay still. To have no action. Motionless. To not think about where this is going, where one has to be, who I am, where to go, why am I here, when will it work, when will it stop, why do this, who are they, when will it, and why?

If only for now, if only for a moment, but just be.

Wednesday

My Relatively Thoughtful Theory of Relative Time Spans.

This is something that occurred to me a while back as i read through a fellow blogger's article on the cicada. (Actually when i say fellow blogger i mean a proper blogger who writes everyday..by that definition I'm a whim blogger - or to put it plainly, a lazy blogabog. But I'm not sure where I'm going with this except for to say that i just don't blog enough). First, a brief background on the cicada and the general concept - the cicada is this ugly scary looking bug that crawls up to the surface of the earth once every some years, start copulating and then die at the end of the day or in a few days or something (I'm not good with details)! And while their story, like many of nature's one day organisms, inspired me and gave me lessons like "live each day to the fullest" and "don't get caught up in the little things" and "life is too short" and what not, it also got me thinking about their lives and how futile and meaningless they are.....or are they?

I always wondered about this relativity of space, time and distance when in reference to tiny bugs. I'm sure we've all looked at an ant walking on a pavement and thought "man, for this ant, these tiles must be countries!" but then minutes later you see the ant walking clear across this pavement and you think "human beings cant walk across countries." So that makes me think of several things : 1) that the ratio of size to ability and performance is really messed up for us (compared to bugs) 2) maybe the tiles aren't as big as countries but maybe cities (but again its not like we people can skip across cities either and 3) why haven't ants invented cars yet (little off the thought process, i know, but if their inventing abilities are anything like their physical side, then they'd be making some sick cars!!)

But I'm digressing...

Its not the distance that I wish to talk about but really about time. Does a second feel just as long to a human being as it does to a cicada? It would be pretty fascinating if these one day creatures led full lives in the span of one day. Cos that would tell us that there is soo much that can be done with our time here.


Imagine the little grubs going to pre-school for a half hour, school for an hour, the smarter adolescent bug would go to college for another half hour. Get his first job and make manager by 10:30 am (human time). meet future Mrs. Weevilbottom by 12:00 pm at a sales conference, get married by 1:30 pm. Have about 80 kids. Find wife cheating with best fly at 3:00 pm by returning early from his sales trip. Go in for couple's counselling and discover that its time to move on by 3.15 pm. Fight and win sole custody of 80 kids by 3.30 pm. Find new girlfly friend by 3.35 pm. Think she's the one by 3:40, find out she's not and break up with her by 3:42. Miss first wife, get in touch and reconcile slowly by 4.00 p.m. Retire to country side burrows by 5.00 pm. put 80 kids through school, and subsequently 18 through college (3 have to unfortunately be checked into drug and alcohol rehab) by 6.00 pm. Have huge 85th birthday at 7.00 pm. and die of a heart attack shortly after.

Again, like so much that i talk about, i don't know where i was going with this. I guess all those cartoons and movies just make me wish that other organisms had full lives too especially since they have such short lives. Its a little vain to think that human beings are the only ones who have complex lives full of these intricate needs and wants and so many levels of existence.

Bottom line, bugs got a pretty raw deal.. they were probably outsourced to a really cheap / gambling / sadistic / lazy god during the later phases of the whole creation bit.

And to illustrate, lets looks at the fruit fly. It lies asleep in a mushy sticky bed in the hopes of being set free when someone cuts open the fruit. Now what is that??? First it has to put all its hope into the fact that someone will just happen to pick that fruit, then it has to hope that it doesn't get cut up in the process of being set free....and all so that it can fly away and die little while later???!!? I think the only lesson one can take away from this is that our lives could've been soo much worse..I mean imagine if god was in a gambling mood when he made us? hmmm that would've made writing this post a lot more challenging and my computer would be all gooey!




Saturday

Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Person in Glorious Flat in Gurgaon

I've traveled far and wide (far anyways, I’m not sure how you travel wide?!) over the last month and have realised a couple of things - of which most relevant is that when left on my own...I don't really have too many substantial thoughts! So anyways, while shamelessly lifting this title from Borat, I’ve decided to put together whatever I noticed there.

For the sake of background, I went to the states for about a month, covered 3 very different states - the small town, the busy cold big city, and the warm chilled out county near the city (no this is not a tally of my air miles!) and found that each place was different in almost every aspect while at the same time being very similar in some others which I find remarkable considering that that country is so vast!

This was my first trip there and on my own so I really got a feel for the place(s) (by that I mean that instead of touristofying, I took in (while being aware of the villager quotient of it) things like how big a Wal-Mart is! some less village type experiences which were really fulfilling was going to the parks, walking around and riding the subway looking at all the people coming home from work - regarding this last one, by the way, I must say we human beings look incredibly depressed and sullen when sitting quietly in a public place (like a subway)...its just this look which says "leave me alone I’m sooo tired" and everyone has it..even I tried it on for a bit (when I wasn't staring all cross eyed and confused at the route map) ... it just seems to fit the place. While at the same time, you do get little insights into stranger’s lives (in a non voyeuristic way!) and get an amazing cross section of emotions in that 10 minute ride...and for some reason I liked that.

Other than that, I'm sure everyone knows how people in the city are in a rush and people in California are laid back and blah blah blah so I won’t go into the differences. What I will talk about are the similarities. So here goes:

· FLAGS - Ok, national pride is a wonderful thing but I really don't know why there’s an American flag after every 10 houses / buildings / streets! I mean ya ok we get it, love America, its a great country and all that but after some point I couldn’t help seeing one and thinking "oh thanks for reminding me!" aside from that I also thought "someone's making a butt load of money exporting flags!" cos that’s the other ironic thing - that these precious flags are all made overseas by "evil companies that are stealing American jobs" - so much for being the symbol of a mighty nation!

· FLIP SWITCHES - I can't understand why in the year 2007, in a country that's had it all for the last 100 years, that the only type of electrical switches that I saw were FLIP TOGGLE SWITCHES! Come on, are they trying to say that a place that gives you 50 different types of water only felt that one type of switch is good enough?! I find this hard to believe so i’m hoping someone can show me otherwise. As for now, I know what I saw and what I saw (in every house, hotel, shop in every state that I went) were just flip switches!


· TOILET PAPER: This may be slightly unpleasant (not cos i’m gonna get graphic - i’m not so don't worry!) cos of the subject matter, but again I couldn’t help wondering why every toilet ONLY has Toilet Paper for clean up - No automatic spray, faucet or even mug of water. I come from the land of lotas and all but every house here in the city had Toilet paper AND the water stuff. Isn't it just more hygienic? And I can't help but think of just how much paper is consumed every day!

· IGNORANCE and WONDER: I'm sure many of you have experienced this or noticed it on your visit. Excuse the generalisation, but mention that you're from India, and instantly the conversee (the local) is shooting questions at you like no tomorrow! And ofcourse 3 questions in, you realise that it is assumed that you are EVERYTHING that years and years of TV has told them we'd be. I met a lot of people, young and old, respected members of their communities, school kids, my age lot and at some point they all asked or said stuff like:

Ø "How come you speak English so well?" - I decided that instead of telling them about the high percentage of English medium schools (I slipped it in at some point), I would go into how we were under British rule for 200 years and apparently picked up the odd word here or there while we were being lathi charged! I mean only our entire judicial system, railways, postal and all round general administration are thanks to them so why not add language to that too!

Ø “Will you have an arranged marriage?” – My response was “No, it’s an option, but I can pretty much marry whoever I want” – They were quite surprised.

Ø “Do you have Clubs and Bars back home?” – (Basically it was a follow up question to how girls and guys meet in India). Come on! What do I even say to this?! I did say “yes” and gave an expression like “seriously??!” and it worked.

Ø “Do you have Margaritas there?” - Considering this came from a college student, I wasn’t gonna hold it against him but you can imagine the shock.

Ø “Can you have a girlfriend?” – Again, more questions leading up to or following the whole arranged marriage issue.

Ø “What will you eat? It’s all non-vegetarian” – Very popular question and asked out of concern everytime so not soo bad, but basically stemmed on the belief that we are all leaf eating sadhus. Doubts were settled as I put away my second helping of popcorn turkey, ham steaks, and tenderloin!

Ø “You’re from India? Gandhi right?” – Ok not really a question but this came from the very friendly girl at the flight check-in desk who for some reason asked me if I had any rupees on me cos she’d never seen one before. I flipped out a note and she pointed to it and recognized him, which was nice since it caught me unaware. I thought that this friendly chat would get my overweight bags through – It didn’t!

Ø “You have a driver and a servant? God you are spoilt!” – It’s probably not how society was meant to be but good or bad, we do have servants. And the average house hold here does have atleast 3 helpers (counting a sweeper, washer etc.). Ofcourse for them, this translated to a lifestyle enjoyed only by the uber wealthy so I enjoyed telling it to the shocked bar tender.


All said and done, it really is a wonderful country and what I liked most was the level of humanity that you show one another there. You smile at people when walking past them, you always greet someone you’re interacting with – salesman, subway attendant, co-passenger who’s giving you vital info (cos you’ve gone 5 stops down the wrong subway line!), everyone, and basic things like that that we were taught to do when growing up but tuned down for one reason or the other (that’s probably why we Indians are on our best behavior there – greeting, not littering etc., cos the whole atmosphere is conducive to gentle living) ….and I think its things like that that we need to examine in ourselves back home and see just how we can bring in a little more of that into our lives here.

But come on! We have bars here!

Tuesday

No Additives, Preservatives, Added flavours, Colours and Emulsifiers

Give me some good ol basic emotion and situation any day. You fall, you get hurt and you cry. You meet someone, you feel happy, you smile. You don't like something you say it out, it's over.

I don't know what thats like anymore. I look for it, strive for it, yet i know that i don't work that way anymore, and whats worse, is that i don't think people are that way either. We lie to sound more believable! and we smile and say how nice to see you, when all we want to say is f@#k off and die! I'm just so sick of not knowing what i'm saying or supposed to be saying anymore!

have you ever been in a situation where you know that nothing you do or say or feel will fix it? that feeling that you've lost something and it'll never come back. and when everything you say just means something else entirely to that other person.

it's the worst feeling in the world when you can't be honest to the people you want to be true to. and worse still when you are being honest, but the person doesnt believe a word of what youre saying. add to that the general feeling that nothing can be fixed and you have yourself a nice lethal cocktail that leaves you drunk and stupid and all in all, a little dead inside.

i suppose its human nature that time drains away all your feelings except for the complex stuff. kind of like that thick line of coffee left at the bottom of the filter- potent, and strong and will it'll wake you up! i'm awake and very aware that we all live like this day in and day out, we just change the filter, fill our coffee and put on a fresh pot knowing full well that the filter's gonna fill up again.

not that we all lie all the time, but on a daily basis we choose the level of honesty we wish to maintain with everyone we talk to. it's about convenience really - you talk about the things you wish to talk about. the second you have to explain something, it becomes painful...and who has time for that right?

i actually don't know what i'm getting at here, i know that everything is fine as it is and honestly, i don't think i want more at all. but i just don't want to care about what is being said and why it is being said anymore.

guess i just like my pure apple juice to just be apple juice.

Saturday

Super Songs and Why They're Super and Why You Should Hear These Super Songs

(actually if you find the reason for why they're super good enough, then i don't have to tell you why you have to hear them)

At the risk of sounding like i know what people around me should listen to, here's my second installment of songs that i hear day in day out without ever thinking "damn- that song again!" (Which by the way, is my way of rating a good song). You see songs, according to me, are of six kinds (i started by thinking three but as it turns out, way more):-

  1. The kind you change within seconds of playing and never hear again.
  2. The kind that is currently playing all over the place so you listen to till its "hot". And occasionally hear it playing many months later at some obscure party and you go "oh yeeaah, this song was good once.
  3. The kind that is always good or played anyways- the classics. Guaranteed to be played for decades and decades no matter where you are. Infact, at parties (the slightly grown up ones) the DJ will HAVE TO play summer of 69', that thing you do, uptown girl, i want to break free etc. etc. at some point. It's like a zone or dimension that you just slip into.
  4. The kind that you don't particularly like, don't hear very often, but for some reason, you know the words and can't help but hum along to. Or worse, you get a phrase stuck in your head! This usually happens by keeping your radio on all the time.
  5. The kind that are great songs and, for a while they're all you listen too, but then for no reason, you get tired of them. No real explanation for it, but we all know the songs that just fade.
  6. My kind! The ones that you know in a few seconds that the song is going to be amazing. And it is, and all is well with the Earth and all its beings. Unfortunately, these ones are rare and so when one comes along, Earth and its beings MUST be happy.

My last list (posted many months ago) had a lot of these level 6 songs...and since then, thanks to my well musicified friends (you know who you all are, stand up and take a bow (and it's even more fun if you say "take a bow" like Austin Powers! )) I've gotten to listen to a LOT of music and have, therefore, come across quite a few of my now favorites.

But first, about me (calculated move to build suspense about upcoming list while servicing my blog infused ego by talkin about me) -

To begin with, as you may have picked up if you know me (the stuff i listen to) or have read my previous list, you'll know that i prefer the slower ones. Slightly sad, little melancholic, good lyrics (ones that make sense, and sometimes ones that done make any!) and all together, ones that make me imagine myself in the mindset of the song. Also one more measure for me to know if i like the song, as I've found out recently, is that i try to imagine a good music video for the song (i really should pay more attention to the road while I'm driving!!!). Other than that, I pretty much listen to everything else. Hip hop and Psy stuff and lounge are all i want at a party but in the end, they wont be part of my list as they don't say anything more than boom boom boom boom (and if its lounge then you'll hear an om shanti in the back ground.) And i can't really connect with a song that goes "flippin a wittin fa shizzle ma nizzle on tha dizzle"!!

And like last time, i would love if you send me some of your favorites so that i could hear more stuff and expand my list. No pressure , ofcourse, but consider this- While I'm riding high on this wave of lots of good music to hear, i fear that if the list ever runs out, I'll turn rabid!! I need my fix ok!

Anyhoo, here's the list, in no particular order:

  1. Far Away Blues - Joe Purdy: Song about missing someone. I like the song for its simplicity. He misses her, he thinks of her and its just about that. And that's how it is with us all. We all have that person we think off, and then it passes as we get back to life and its issues. Love the lines "oh the water's mad, she's been fighting with the wind" and "things are fine and people are great, but I've been thinking of you."
  2. First Day of My Life - Brighteyes: Song about love, those happy moments and everything great about it. I love how the song brings across so much happiness, love and sincerity in such basic ways. The lyrics are real and meaningful and are way more special then all the "i love yous." I love the lines " remember the time you drove all night, just to meet me in the morning" and " glad i didn't die before i met you". So simple and beautiful.
  3. Walk Away - Ben Harper: Song about a relationship that's over and how you just have to move on. I like that it tells you that life is life, and that at the end of the day, you just have to get on with it. But for the moment it hurts and that sucks. And thats what it's about. Run me through a carrot grater and roll me around in salt if you haven't gone through this or don't know how it feels. Come to think of it, if you don't know what its about then maybe i should do that to you! Love the line "so many people to love in my life, why do i worry bout one."
  4. This Year's Love - David Gray: Song about new love, doubt and vulnerability. He has been scarred before and is hesitant to allow himself to fall in love again. Cos he knows that we will lose himself entirely and he can't take getting hurt again. By the end though, he lets go and decides to go for it regardless of the consequences. Love the lines " when you hold me like you do, feels so right, start to forget how my heart gets torn"
  5. Isn't Love - Joe Purdy: Song about hating this girl and all that she is because he doesn't want to love her. But he already does! I love the situation. Sometimes you think everything's wrong about the person but you cant help feeling like you do. So you have this inner fight that leaves you frustrated and lost. You can see it in these lines "i wish you had not been born, why'd we have to meet......and i hope this isn't love." Love the lines "go away why can't you leave me be, cos i love your face and you need to hurt me." He love's her but he hates her cos he hates himself for loving her.
  6. How To Be Dead - Snow Patrol: Song about a fight between a couple. I like to think that the whole song is a dialogue between the girl and the guy. (and you'll get it if you hear the song enough. Infact call me up next time you're listening to it so i can explain it.) The whole song is an argument about those typical problems - time and space and all the things between. And that's it. No after effects, no conclusions - Just the fight. And maybe that's why i like it. It's just about what it is.
  7. Chemistry - Teddy Geiger: Song about a relationship that just isn't working out. And all they have for each other is chemistry and that's not enough. I like the line "beneath our walls is chemistry." Just wish the song was longer - by the time you get into it, it's over.
  8. For Blue Skies - Strays Don't Sleep: I think its about separation, longing, loneliness and a drug addiction! The whole song brings across this image of a cold machine like life, where at the end of the day, you come home to an empty house and an empty existence. The drugs come in cos of the line "wanna burn this filth, you alone with those pills" (as if he wishes to start anew and break free). And then, by the end the entire song sounds hopeful with the words "i forgive you."
  9. Lost Cause - Beck: Song about something or someone too far gone to even try saving. The song brings across all the darkness of this place where everything's coming to an end. I like the lines "noone standing at your door, and that's what you thought love was for." and "i'm tired of fighting for a lost cause"
  10. Perfect Blue Buildings - Counting Crows: Song about tripping and rehab (i think atleast). Awesome lyrics, the types that make a lot of sense about something even though you don't know exactly what that something is. To me, it's about despair, release and desperation all seen in a guy with a drug problem. The vivid colours (blue buildings, green apple seas) along with lines like "wanna get me a little oblivion" and "help me stay awake, i'm falling" all paint a picture of someone who wants to be saved but can't do it on his own.
  11. Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt: Yes, as the title suggests, it's a song about the end of a relationship. What i like about it is that it doesn't say why it's over. Infact, all he sings about is how he never wanted it to end (as seen in the lines "I'd be the father of your child, I'd share a lifetime with you"). Strong lyrics that show just how close they were at one time and how killing it must be to not have that anymore. The video's great too cos it's one of the few that bring up images of what the song's about (remember i mentioned my "picture the video" criterea earlier?). You see this couple who are making love, but its shown in bursts - so you get a sense of the passion, and end with him sleeping alone on the bed. I like the lines "shared your dreams and shared your bed, I know you well, i know your smell, Ive been addicted to you."
  12. I Love the Rain the Most - Joe Purdy: Just a song about good times. Folksy, rythmic song that gets one thinking of a picnic by a river, on a warm sunny afternoon. And i love it for just that. I love the line "we can jump in the river, don't know if the water or sky is clearer."
  13. Save Tonight - Eagle Eye Cherry: A going away song. Really nice lyrics. And what i like most is that you can feel the supressed sadness that one feels when you have to go away, and when you try to block it out by doing whatever you have to avoid thinking about leaving someone. Love the lines "fight the break of dawn," and "tomorrow comes to take me away."