January 10, 2012
When I was 18 I bought a CD at a music shop and I had no idea who the band was. The CD was 5 bucks and I thought "Why the heck not? Let's be spontaneous and try a band I've never heard of!" So, I bought the CD and threw it in my CD player. The band was called Thrice and the CD was in poor quality but played fine. The CD was decent but nothing really stood out until the title track called "The Artist In The Ambulance" came on. I began listening to the lyrics and instantly I was hooked on an idea: that sometimes we are given second chances and sometimes we need a rude awakening to help us become the people we need to be. Here are the lyrics...
THE ARTIST IN THE AMBULANCE
Late night, brakes lock, hear the tires squeal
Red light, can't stop so I spin the wheel
My world goes black before I feel an angel lift me up
And I open bloodshot eyes
into fluorescent white
They flip the siren, hit the lights, close the doors and I am gone
Now I lay here owing my life to a stranger
And I realize that empty words are not enough
I'm left here with the question of
just what have I to show except
the promises I never kept?
I lie here shaking on this bed,
under the weight of my regrets
I hope that I will never let you down
I know that this can be more than just flashing lights and sound
Look around and you'll see that at times it feels like no one really cares
It gets me down but I'm still gonna try to do what's right, I know that there's
A difference between sleight of hand,
and giving everything you have
There's a line drawn in the sand, i'm working up the will to cross it
Rhetoric can't raise the dead
I'm sick of always talking when there's no change
I'm sick of empty words, let's lead and not follow
Late night, brakes lock, hear the tires squeal
Red light, can't stop so I spin the wheel
My world goes black before I feel an angel steal me from the
Greedy jaws of death and chance,
and pull me in with steady hands
They've given me a second chance, the artist in the ambulance
Can we pick you off the ground,
more than flashing lights and sound
Here's the song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ton0a230_s
The lyrics just kinda struck me that if I were suddenly put face to face with death would I be ready to go? ...would I have lived the life I knew I should have? Will I "lie here shaking on this bed under the weight of my regrets" or say "what do I have to show except the promises I never kept?" I like the idea that we most likely will not die tomorrow but we can live better today.
Another song that contrasts this theme is a song by my favorite band, Bayside, called You've Already Been. This song illustrates a man who is going down on a crashing plane and contemplates his life and times and wonders if he'll end up in Heaven or Hell. The plane doesn't crash and he doesn't change but g-g-g-goes back to his selfish ways. Then later in life he is taken back to that moment when the plane is crashing but he hasn't changed even though he had the chance but this time he's not so lucky. In spite of his constant self-reassurance that he is in command it doesn't save him. The lyrics...
YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN
Let's say, that you're on a plane
It's going down fast
And you had time to think about
Your life and times
And where you'll end up
They say there's a place
You worry what it might be like
And you scream 'cause you're scared
What if I swore to God?
Would you believe me then?
Isn't there something to be said about
Brand name recognition
Let's say, your plane didn't crash
And you should survive
Would g-g-go back to your selfish ways
And deny this was divine?
They say there's a place
You worry what it might be like
And scream 'cause you're scared
What if I swore to God?
Would you believe me then?
Isn't there something to be said about
Brand name recognition
What can I say?
We ate the apple anyway
And you'll wonder when you'll get there
When you've already been
Well let's say that this happens again
This time you were rotated back
Believe what ever's right for you
Don't doubt your worth
Stay in command
What if I swore to God?
Would you believe me then?
Isn't there something to be said about
Brand name recognition
What can I say?
We ate the apple anyway
And you'll wonder when you'll get there
When you've already been
When you've already been
Here's the song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wRQFD1q7vY
Something to think about.
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