My Happy Place

 My parents detest tattoos, and yet I so far have two. This is partly because I began telling them I was getting tattoos when I was 12, which gave them six years to warm to the idea before I got my first one. Again to help them, but also to ease myself into the whole lifelong ink business, I decided to get a small yet meaningful one first.

I decided to go with a bass clef and a treble clef in the shape of heart, because, simply, 'I heart music'. Without wanting to induce eye rolls, music means an incredible amount to me. I feel it's fixed my heart on many an occasion, and it really helps me connect with God, whether it's through openly religious music or songs that I put my own faithful meaning to. For me, 'my happy place' where I can just be calm and content, has often been a state of mind induced by a particular song.

 A stunning song that recently came back into my life is 'Sound of Silence'. I sang this in my primary school choir, and I think the repetitiveness of practicing it, along with my young age, prevented me from truly listening to it to gain an understanding of the lyrics. Through a Spotify playlist I follow, a couple of weeks ago I heard Disturbed's cover of it. Being familiar with Disturbed I had an idea of what to expect, but their rendition completely blew me away. Instantly, in the midst of deadlines and exam drama (which ended yesterday, so long third year!!) I had my new happy place.
Why not have a listen as you read through what thoughts the lyrics inspire me to have.

 

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Darkness can feel safe, familiar, a place that's always been there to envelope me.
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
It's ok for things to take me back to the darkness, it's going to happen, but I shouldn't stay there.
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
Things can be so bothersome, even peace and quiet can't eradicate them.

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
The world can be a lonely place. But there's always light in the world, for me that's been Jesus.
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
Humans can, and in some cases have gone too far. Simplicity is sometimes best. Do we really need modernity thrust in our faces, disrupting the peace and quiet we've appreciated for so long?

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
Modernity has brought us closer together than ever before, but our ineffectiveness is pushing us further apart than is healthy.
People talking without speaking
So many people have been gifted, blessed, with platforms from which to speak, but they don't. They just talk, unhelpfully, inconsiderately, and unnecessarily. That needs to stop.
People hearing without listening
PAY ATTENTION. Constantly falling out with someone? Listen, they're probably telling you what you do that hurts them so much they have to fight back. Don't understand someone? Listen, they're probably telling you everything you could ever need to know. PAY ATTENTION.
People writing songs that voices never share
'Your art matters, it's what got me here'. What do you have left when you don't have art, or expression? Take the colour out of the world and it will be the most dreary place you could ever imagine. Don't waste your talent. Don't tell someone to give up on their art. Embrace expression and passion.
And no one dared
I dare you. Do it. Whatever it is, whatever you're afraid of, just do it. Don't be afraid, just believe.
Disturb the sound of silence
Ignorance is not bliss.

"Fools" said I
"You do not know, silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence
The person who does not step in to stop the bully is as bad, if not worse, than the bully themselves. 

I understand this is definitely not the world's 'happiest' song, so it may seem odd that it has become my 'happy place'. However, I find Disturbed's version beautiful, yet arousing, it brings to the fore all that is wrong with the world and leaves you with a person's attempt to make a change. Sometimes the beauty is in the attempt. There is always worth in trying. I can't think of many happier, more comforting sentiments.