#94 It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City by Bruce Springsteen

“The devil appeared like Jesus through the steam in the street
Showin' me a hand I knew even the cops couldn't beat
I felt his hot breath on my neck as I dove into the heat
It's so hard to be a saint when you're just a boy out on the street”

It’s been so long since my last post. I think back to the day I said I was going to write about one song per day. Even if I wasn’t working full time and going to school, I still do not think that would be a possibility. Each song requires so much reflection, and I never feel I reflect enough to do them justice.

This current song is just not grabbing me in any way and I feel at a loss to write about it. My head is swarming with the names of all the bones of the body and now the muscles – words like epicranial aponeurosis and my confusion over the final episode of LOST as well as my concern over my sick kitty are overpowering Springsteen’s beautiful visions -“the devil appeared like Jesus through the steam in the street”. I can’t even begin to write about this song.

Ok it just hit me. Yes just now. That is exactly what this song is about. It’s about distractions. It’s about trying to stay on a course yet finding yourself pulled by temptation or drained by the necessary evils aboard this life train. It would be so much easier to let life derail me from my goal. How important is this goal really I ask myself when I’m much too tired to even open a Word document to start typing.

So, once again I have to remind myself why I even began this in the first place. I wanted to improve my writing. I wanted to set a goal that would inspire me to write and keep me writing on a consistent basis. I wanted to test out the writer in me and see who wins – the student on her way to becoming an Occupational Therapist – or the artist who still dreams of one day having a dream job that involves writing or music or something more passionate than my current/future occupation provides.

The practical me has been winning. It’s important, yes. But so is this project of mine. Even if only to finish what I set before me. I don’t want to be another “sage on the subway” while something or someone else “clacks out the rhythm” of my life. I want to be “out on the street” making things happen, choosing my own paths, small and large.

Yes, this post was mostly about me. But sometimes to get through a writing block you need to write about what’s in your head – push out the cork that is blocking the flow – oh no – now I’m thinking about LOST again…

For Complete Lyrics Visit: http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/ItsHardToBeASaintInTheCity.html

#93 Into the Fire

“It was dark, too dark to see,

you held me in the light you gave

You lay your hand on me

Then walked into the darkness of your smoky grave”

It takes a lot of courage to follow your calling, especially when that calling brings with it great sacrifice. The obvious heroes of our world – the policemen, soldiers, firemen, etc… - those who risk their lives every day for a cause greater than themselves – all deserve respect and recognition for such a great sacrifice.

However, there’s another kind of hero in our midst – we know him/her as “the artist” or maybe they’re “the unemployed”, “the cousin who lives out of his car”, “the eccentric friend who never had a steady job”, “the kid who doodles in class and doesn’t relate to his peers”, “the girl with headphones on who spends all day playing that “damn” guitar”.

Following your passion, your purpose against the grain of society is not an easy cross to bear, especially when that mission yields little fruitage. Putting your heart and soul into a song or a photo or a painting - laying it out for all to see and to possibly ridicule or worse yet – completely misunderstand – takes a drive and a commitment not easily embraced.

Artists are not supported. Only once they reach some level of “business success” do they truly get recognized, but then they are flooded with all the stuff that has nothing to do with their art or why they began creating in the first place – needy fans, managers, sponsors, it takes money to make money… a whole slew of meaningless expectations that for most artists can stifle their creativity. They become a factory of their meduim instead of a patient fisherman of their own inner world.

When was the last time you felt inspired and alive? For me, it’s when I listen to music especially at a live show or with a vodka and tonic (or 2 or 3) in front of my Bruce Springsteen Live In New York DVD. Nothing else compares. I feel inspired to write, inspired to be more myself and less the cookie cutter person everyone wants me to be. When I see the beauty of the earth or people who carry their lives on their faces, I am moved to want to capture those images with my camera. That is life. That is what I long to be passionate for. When I get those feelings, I feel like life is meant to go on forever and I feel something greater at work – something greater than all this madness. For tiny fleeting moments I believe in myself and that I can really have the life I desire. I don’t recall having any semblance of those emotions the last time I watched “The Bachelor”.

Artists are heroes too. They cross into the fire that most of us don’t dare draw near. They risk being ostracized and torn apart and give up family, friends, and a predictable meal plan all for the sake of trying to carve out an authentic life in this plastic society we call living.
And the sacrifices they make bring remind us of what living really is and what is important in our soul’s quest for answers…they hold us “in the light [they give}” and therein lies our faith, hope, and above all else - love…

For Complete Lyrics Visit: http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/IntoTheFire.html

A Lull In The Action

I have not been posting as often as I'd like. This project is much greater than I anticipated. While I am still enjoying writing about and delving into these lyrics, I'm not finding the time to do so at a level I had hoped to do. I am back in school, so pretty much for the next four years I will be pretty busy (no it will not take me that long to finish these songs - God I hope not). However, I am still determined to finish this project, and I hope you will stick with me along the way. Thanks for your support and stay tuned for "Into the Fire" - it's a bit slow coming...

Thunderroad79
Erin