Music Monday #11: Somewhere in the Between

With the amount of chaos that my life is currently engulfed in, I feel like I am taking it pretty well. I thought moving to Grenada warranted a freak-out but now that looks like cake.

With all the stress in my life right now I try to take things one day at a time, and at least have confidence that I have a blanket to sleep on the street with, legs to walk at least a few miles a day if necessary, and my best friend who I only occasionally want to strangle (...jokes!).

But every once in a while I just break down. I'm pretty calm and confident on the outside but sometimes it just all builds up and comes crashing down in a magnificently ugly sob-cry phone call home. This whole road is sloppily paved (Grenada-"paved") with new rock-bottoms and new heartbreaks. Just when you think it can't get worse, can't get tighter, BOOM -surprise!- it does.

Let me introduce you to the head smashing tunes of Streetlight Manifesto. They aren't for everyone. Even the lyrics themselves can be a bit ... melancholy. When I listen to them around my parents they affectionately refer to them as ska/ punk-rock on drugs. Which, means a lot coming from their generation. So listen at your own discretion.

Today I refer us to the song that is the namesake for this particular album, "Somewhere in the Between."

It's always been one of my favorites and today, in a first in Music Monday history, I had the chance to discuss it with Ross. My life is a lot of Somewheres in the Betweens, I don't know where I will be tomorrow, I don't know where I will be living next week.

The whole song is a reflection on life or the "somewhere in the between" (between birth and death).

The song starts:

"You were gone when we found you. You were practically surrounded, you were trapped. But the opposition stalled, their blood ran cold. When they saw the look of love in your eyes."

Ross and I had different ideas when we read this part. I had always thought "gone" was metaphorical. I sort of took it to mean emotionally "gone." Perhaps distant or depressed, especially in reference to the next feeling of being surrounded and trapped. Ross took it to mean physically gone, being dead. I think that makes sense. I like it. Either way, the main point of this verse is the last line. The love in this individual's eyes is so powerful that even the opposition is stalled. Throughout his whole life, good and bad, it's summarize by an expression of love.

The next verse reflects on the journey of life. I love the optimism. It's real optimism that isn't overpowering or corny. To me it feels authentic, like someone is coming to the conclusion right now as they are thinking about it. Scratching their chin and shrugging a little.

"Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad. And everything else was part of the plan."

I'm not going to go through every lyric of the song. I thought discussing this with Ross would clear things up, but it only opened up more room for interpretation, so I will do the same for you.
When this chorus is repeated the words change a little bit.

"Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad. And everything else was part of our path."

Whether it is plan/ or path I like the way he expresses his feelings about the negative parts of life. Let's admit it, life kinda sucks sometimes. But, with the perspective that the afterlife could give us, will we just look back, shrug and say "Yep, we needed those parts too"?

"So you were born and that was a good day. Someday you'll die and that is a shame. But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream. And nothing and no one will ever take that away"

The last line gives a feeling of ownership. Your life is yours and yours alone. No one can live it for you, claim it for you, take it away from you. I haven't been thinking that my life is something of which I've dreamed about, but I hope someday soon I can have a little more perspective.

The whole song is a celebration of life. Life is not a phase or a step. It's important and you need to make the most of it. There will be bad times. Like when you are out of money and expected to move to a new city. But there are also good times. Like eating pizza with your best friends while talking about Adventure Time.

Life isn't a waiting room where we lazily leaf through out-dated magazines and wait to be called to our afterlife appointment.

"And someday soon my friends. This ride will come to an end. But we can't just get in line again."

This is it folks! Our one and only ride. No fast passes but also no re-dos. Make it count. 

P.s. Check out the symbolism in this sweet album cover art!