Tuesday's Top Ten - Song Lyrics That Describe Me

"And you can tell everybody this is your song." - "Your Song" by Elton John

Anyone who has read my blog probably realizes that I love music. Today I thought I would share the top ten song lyrics that I feel describe me the most. Even if the whole song doesn't quite respresent me, if one or two lines mean enough, I will count it as one of my songs. Here we go!

1. I've got an Irish name and an injury/ A blessing and a curse cast down on me. - "Red At Night" by The Gaslight Anthem - This song could have been written about me. The things about myself that I feel are my biggest blessings can also be curses, and this song has a great way of showing that you can have the blues and still be hopeful at the same time. The first time I heard this song I had to immediately repeat it several times, just listening in awe. This really is my song.

2. Give me the fevers that just won't break/ And give me the children you don't want to raise. - "Bring It On" by The Gaslight Anthem - Brian Fallon did it again, he wrote another song that resonates very strongly with me. There have been several times in my life where I have taken care of children whose parents did not know what to do with them, did not spend time with them, and in the worst cases, did not want them. It kills me every time. I would gladly take those kids if I could, and I would also take their pain if I was able to so they wouldn't hurt so much. Bring it on.

3. The weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned/ The things that pass for knowledge I can't understand. - "Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan - I have written about this song before, but I have to include it because it fits me like a glove. I went about my formal education backwards, university for a year, transferred to a community college, took time off, went back, took time off, went back, and eventually graduated. Plus, I learned way more working and learning on my own than I ever did in a classroom. This song is kind of my anthem.

4. When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school/ It's a wonder I can think at all/ But my lack of education hasn't hurt me none/ I can read the writing on the wall. - "Kodachrome" by Paul Simon - Before my backwards college education, there was a crappy high school education, if you could call it that. It wasn't all bad, but for the most part I got nothing out of it, educationally speaking. I'm okay though, I rose above my public school education, and even do okay answering Jeopardy questions. And I rock at Trivial Pursuit. Success! ;)

5. Sometimes I'm up, Lord, and sometimes I'm down/ God's gonna trouble the water/ Sometimes I'm almost level with the ground/ God's gonna trouble the water. - "Crush" by The Horrible Crowes - Another masterpiece by Brian Fallon (part of his amazing album, "Elsie", with guitarist Ian Perkins), with lyrics adapted from a couple of old gospel songs. I can feel these words in my soul. I tend to be a very extreme person. I'm either way, way up, or very down, and the line "sometimes I'm almost level with the ground" is me at my worst. Going back to #1 on this list, my extreme emotions are both a blessing and a curse. I would much rather feel too much than not enough, but it can be a rough way to exist in this world too.

6. Come writers and critics/ Who prophesize with your pen/ And keep your eyes wide/ The chance won't come again/ And don't speak too soon/ For the wheel's still in spin. - "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan - As an aspiring writer, these lyrics really strike a chord with me. Bob's words also remind me to seize the day, don't let opportunities pass you by because that might be your only chance, but don't rush into things. I made the mistake when I finished my first novel of submitting it to agents right away, way before it was ready, and I have now learned to finish out the process, complete my editing, and let the creativity flow until the words and story are as perfect as I can get them. "The Times They Are A-Changin'" is a great reminder of what I need to do and what I have already learned along the way.

7. For twenty nine years we loved that line/ And I would take it easy if I had your mind/ But I'm a cannonball to a house on fire/ And you're slow like Motown soul. - "The Spirit of Jazz" by The Gaslight Anthem - Yes, a fourth Brian Fallon song, but I can't help it, his music is that meaningful to me. These lyrics dscribe how I can't take it easy, even though I would like to sometimes, and how my mind always feels like it's ready to explode from too many thoughts and ideas racing through it. I'm just not a calm person, but that's okay. I wouldn't be me if I were "slow like Motown soul". That's such a cool line!

8. But it don't snow here/ It stays pretty green/ I'm going to make a lot of money/ Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene/ Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on. - "River" by Joni Mitchell - I love snow and it rarely happens around here. The lines in this song about making a lot of money and quitting this crazy scene hit a nerve with me too. I don't think I will ever be wealthy, but I have dreams of making enough money writing where I don't need to do anything else but create more books, articles, and poetry. And sometimes I, like everyone else out there, just wish for an escape, a river to skate away on.

9. Now we see everything that's going wrong/ With the world and those who lead it/ We just feel like we don't have the means/ To rise above and beat it/ So we keep on waiting/ Waiting on the world to change. - "Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer - This one surprised me, because John Mayer is one of the last artists that I thought would ever write a song I could relate to so much (I am not a fan), but he did. I have always been troubled by the things that are wrong with this world, the injustices that people face every day, but like the song says, how can we beat it? The Baby Boomer generation changed the world so much, with the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Lib, all of the protesting and amazing, inspirational music that came out of the Vietnam War era, but what has Generation X done? Man, I really hate that name. It's like we don't even know where we belong or what we're doing. And maybe we don't, because there is still a lot of change that needs to happen, but how?

10. And I don't really care if you think I'm strange/ I ain't gonna change. - "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - No, I never had a bad reputation, but I have also never cared what anyone thinks about me. If someone doesn't like me, fine. If they do, that's great. I'm not one to go along with the crowd, agree because I'm afraid to disagree, or try to be "normal". I like being different, a non-conformist, and voicing my opinion, even if I'm all alone in my beliefs. I'm not going to ever change that either.

So, do you have any song lyrics that fit you to a tee? Do you share any of mine? Drop me a comment and let me know. Thanks for reading! :)

Do It Again

"You go back, Jack, do it again/ Wheel turning round and round/ You go back, Jack, do it again." - Steely Dan

Wow, two posts in one day. I'm on a roll! In case you haven't guessed, these lyrics are referring to me sending out another query letter. This one was sent to an agency that I think would be a really good fit for me and by "Willow" novels, and I was happy that they allowed me to submit a synopsis and the first three chapters of my book instead of just a letter. I mean, come on. How can you get a good idea of what a book is about or how a person writes solely from a one page query?

So now I have my fingers crossed once again, just wishing and hoping that I receive a positive response from the Prospect Agency. I know the right agency is out there to represent me, and maybe this time I've found it!

One of My Songs

"Are you reelin' in the years/ Stowin' away the time/ Are you gatherin' up the tears/ Have you had enough of mine?" - "Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan

Oops, I forgot to write about one of the songs that describes me in my last post, so I'll do it now. I have several songs that fit me in some way, but "Reelin' in the Years" is the ultimate Shannon song. Here are a few lyrics that are especially meaningful to me.

"Well you wouldn't even know a diamond if you held it in your hand/ The things you think are precious I can't understand." I have no idea why some people give things such high value, like money for instance. Yes, it's useful and I certainly wish I had more of it, but I don't get when people become so consumed with making money, and make it more important than anything else in their lives. After all, money is just pieces of paper, and you can't take it with you!

"You've been telling me you were a genius since you were seventeen/ In all the time I've known you, I still don't know what you mean/ The weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned/ The things that pass for knowledge I can't understand." This is my main verse. First of all, I am a genius, although I started voicing that fact before I turned seventeen (not in a cocky way though!). Second, I did college backwards, not at all like I planned. My plan was to go to Old Dominion University and complete the five year Master's program, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies. Yeah, that didn't happen. For the year I went to ODU, I worked part-time in their preschool, and fell in love with the kids, the job, everything. I realized that I didn't want to teach Kindergarten, but infants or toddlers instead. So, I left ODU, enrolled in community college (off and on), and a few years later I completed my degree in Early Childhood Instruction. Not conventional, I know, but it worked for me. Finally, the last part of this verse really speaks to me, because I have learned SO MUCH more on my own time and from experience in the world than I ever did sitting in a classroom being "instructed". Sometimes "the things that pass for knowledge" really make no sense at all.

"The things you think are useless I can't understand." In my opinion, everything can be useful and has a purpose, you just have to be creative and see the beauty in ordinary objects. I can turn a fallen leaf into a great art project, an empty Coke bottle into a cute vase, and I can cut up a pair of old, ripped jeans and use the pieces to make pillows, parts of textured blankets, etc. etc. etc. The list could go on forever.

So, as you can see from this extremely long post, "Reelin' in the Years" is totally my song. Thanks Donald Fagen and Walter Becker for the great lyrics!