on October 24, 2015
It sure seems to me that there is very little to be happy about these days ... it's a challenge just to watch the news without reaching for the prozac jar. Anger, hurt and disappointment. Violence, murder and hate. Crime, drug abuse and hopelessness. One tragedy after another stacked upon a mountain of catastrophe, calamity and despair.
I'm not what would generally be classified as a very religious guy. That is not to say that I'm not spiritual, but you won't find me in church very often. When I attend I usually walk away shaking my head in amusement. I don't know if that matters but I guess I'll find out someday. I'm hoping for the best in that regard. I intended to explain what I believe in, my thoughts on God in relation to what is happening around us. I got as far as, "God is". After thinking about it for awhile, perhaps that explains my belief system well enough.
With all of that being said, I wonder what is going on in the world? Are the things that are going on today any different than the things that were going on when our parents were kids; or their parents were kids; or hundreds of years ago? Is it just a matter of the world being smaller because of technology, social media and the old adage, bad news travels fast?
I don't know. Does it even matter? My sense of things is that we're right on the edge ... the precipice .... that sketchy little spot where the whole thing just might come undone..
That's where we come in. The songwriters, the poets, artists, dreamers, believers, writers, and performers, I never feel better about myself or things around me as when I hear a song that strikes me; read a poem that makes me think; or a book that transports me away for awhile lost in a well told story.
When I pick up my guitar and feel the strings on my fingertips, the slightly raised fret board, the smoothness of wood in my arms, I'm in love. When a line of words that perfectly describe a thought or intention roll from mind to paper (iPad), I feel hopeful. When my fingers work in harmony with melody and lyric and those vibrations are released into that space between what is known as heaven and earth, I feel a little closer to whatever it is that is calling me.
I can't help but think that is good. I can't help but think that what you do, your process of creating song, poem, lyric, melody, performance brings positive to what appears to be so much that is negative around us. Most of us are not professional songwriters, poets or performers. We don't have to be Simon and Garfunkel to make up a song, and we don't have to make a living from our effort to call ourselves songwriters (possible debate alert). Our mission, as it is with everything in life, is to get better at what we do, have fun, enjoy ourselves and each other. In this instance, Songramp is an ideal forum to do that.
I'm not sure why this rolled off of my fingertips this morning? I don't know if anyone will read this or if anyone cares but I feel like what you do, we do, songwriter, poet, performer, etc., is the balance on the scale that seems to be tipping. Write a song today ... add a hand on the rope of what is a spiritual and emotional tug of war. People like me depend on it.
Thank you to everyone involved, those who do the hard work so that we have an outlet for our work, and thanks to everyone who have the courage to contribute their work, lyric, melody, and performance. You make a difference in my life as well as the lives of others.
km
Kip Marchetti
I suppose they can John. We need a lot more "righters of wrongs" in this world right now ... just as we could always use a few more "singers of songs". Neither of which are exclusive to the other.
