The final song, The Best of Times, is by far my favorite. Looks like Mr. Francis and I had an eerily similar youth. Not only that, but the music for the track was composed by Yann Tiersen. Who's that? I didn't know either...well, sorta. Tiersen composed the soundtrack for Amelie. A film which makes you believe in true love even when you're at your most bitter and lonely. So I knew the man's work, but not the man. Wonderful musical track on this one.
Anyway, here is a section of the lyrics. You could also check out Sage's liner notes here.
It’s been a long and lonely trip but I’m glad that I took it because it was well worth it. I got to read a couple books and do some research before I reached my verdict. Never thought that I was perfect. Always thought that I had a purpose. Used to wonder if I’d live to see my first kiss.
The most difficult thing I ever did was recite my own words at a service realizing the person I was addressing probably wasn’t looking down from heaven. Or cooking up something in hell’s kitchen, trying to listen in or eaves drop from some another dimension. It was self serving just like this is.
Conveniently religious on Easter Sunday and on Christmas. The television went from being a babysitter to a mistress. Technology made it easy for us to stay in touch while keeping a distance, ’til we just stayed distant and never touched. Now all we do is text too much.
I don’t remember much from my youth. Maybe my memory is repressed. Or I just spent too much time wondering if I’d live to have sex. Fell in love for the first time in 4th grade but I didn’t have the courage to talk to her. In 8th grade I wrote her the note but I slipped it in someone else’s locker.
Considered killing myself ’cause of that. It was a big deal. It was a blown cover. It was over for me. My goose was cooked. Stick a fork it me. The jig is up. I blew my chances, the rest is history, our future was torn asunder. It became abundantly clear that I was only brought here to suffer.
I think that's about the first two minutes (the song is six. An incredible six). That last line got me a lil chocked up, to be honest. I lived so long thinking the same thing - that I was only here to suffer. And I thought this for way too long.
My first blogs here were so full of self-loathing, depression, despair that it's painful to even think about those days. Not literal pain, like that idiot creator of Grey's Anatomy felt.* But still, pain. There were also some early hints (to myself! from myself!) that the drinking was getting a little out of hand.** Naturally, I managed to sprinkle some delightful insanity in there too, but the point is, Sage ends the song like so:
Now I wonder if I’ll live to see marriage. Wonder if I’ll live long enough to have kids. Wonder if I’ll live to see my kids have kids. If I do I’m gonna tell ‘em how it is.
“Don’t listen when they tell you that these are your best years. Don’t let anybody protect your ears. It’s best that you hear what they don’t want you to hear. It’s better to have pressure from peers than not have peers. Beer won’t give you chest hair. Spicy food won’t make it curl. When you think you’ve got it all figured out and then your universe collapses…trust me, kid…it’s not the end of the world.”
Wow. I still wonder about the marriage and the kids (think I had an awesome chance there, but I definitely fucked up beyond all human comprehension on that one, folks), but yeah...overall this track affected me the most. The other standouts so far are Little Houdini and I Was Zero.
It's a great record. Go buy it, I guarantee you'll love it. Or hate it. Or whatever. Look dude, I don't care anymore. I gotta to be up early tomorrow cuz I have to help my Aunt Stacie move, so get outta here. You know I hate it when you watch me sleep. It creeps me out.
SO GIT OUT!
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* Sorry, but there's only one thing worse than not understanding the concept of "literal". And that's EFFING WRITERS not understanding the concept of literal.
** But Sage didn't include a song about that on the record...the inconsiderate bastard!
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