Music

Lyrics can save us. When we have no words of our own to express what we are feeling, we can look to the words of others to express them for us. In this time of great division, songs can communicate what we feel and make us feel less alone. Hard truths mixed with compassion and inspiration linked to a steady beat can help steady us. For example….

See it:

“I was just a boy when I sat down, To watch the news on TV

I saw some ordinary slaughter, I saw some routine atrocity

My father said, don’t look away, You got to be strong, You got to be bold, now

He said that in the end is beauty, That is going to save the world now…”

~ There She Goes My Beautiful World ~ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Stand up:

“We sick an’ tired of your ism-schism game, Dyin’ n’ goin’ to Heaven in a Jesus’ name, Lord

We know when we understand, almighty God is a living man

You can fool some people sometimes, But you couldn’t fool all the people all the time

And now we see the light, you stand up for our rights, yeah…”

~ Get up, Stand Up ~ Bob Marley and the Wailers

Help each other:

“Does life seem nasty, brutish and short, Come on up to the house

The seas are stormy and you can’t find no port, Come on up to the house, yeah

You gotta come on up to the house, Come on up to the house,

The world is not my home, I’m just a passing through, Come on up to the house…”

~ Come On Up the the House ~ Tom Waits

Hope and Reassurance:

“Brother called me on the phone, Saying ‘I’m done with it all’

Safe to say I’m done with it all too, Trying to right all these wrongs

Never seemed so impossible, It’s clear to me we’re scared to hope, too

I don’t know why, I don’t know why, I cannot stop this feeling inside

I don’t know why, I don’t know why, I cannot stop this feeling inside 

No matter how bad it all gets, I can’t stop this voice in my head

This voice in my head says, We’re gonna be alright, We’re gonna be alright …”

• – Alright (frick it!) – Judah & the Lion

Of course, the lyrics need go with the tune for full effect of catharsis. Pick the songs that help you through the day, and listen to them a lot! Put in your ears buds, turn up the volume and go….

Tough times. Very tough times. Confusing times. Really confusing times. Joyful times. Ecstatic times. Sad times. Sorrowful times. Angry times. Disturbing times. Thoughtful times. Peaceful times. Music embraces, acknowledges, and expresses all the emotions of the world – piece by piece and song by song. And in that way, it saves us again and again and again.

I don’t know about you, but I’m listening to music a LOT every day. Sometimes quietly. Sometimes at a deafening volume. Sometimes plugged in. Sometimes out loud. Why so much NOW? To feel the feelings without exploding. That pretty much explains it.

We find ourselves in the midst of a situation we never expected (at least most of us). For those of us who tend to be highly emotional anyway, our emotions are higher still. For those of us who are more sensitive and aware of the feelings of others (both near and far), we feel the overload of emotions overwhelming us at times. We need a release. We pick music.

“When things get too heavy, just call me helium, the lightest gas known to men.” ~ Jimi Hendrix

Music will take us where we need to go without harming us. We can express our anger, confusion, and frustration, and have it released through an ass kicking song. It is cathartic. Conversely, we can experience great sorrow or great joy through the lyrics and notes of someone else’s songs – birthed just to move us, energize us, soothe us, or heal us. Music encompasses every feeling, every experience, and every taste. We can find the right song for the right mood on any given day. Technology makes it so easy now.

My friend teases me that I know a song for everything. She is right. There IS a song for everything. And I remember them because each one shares a personal memory for me. You know how a few notes can just conjure up a memory from your past and you are there again? And the longer you live, the more songs will be added to your own personal song catalog.

So while you are home, remember, you are not alone. You’ve got your trusted friend at your beck and call. Whenever and wherever. Thank you, music.

Music drives emotion. Seriously. Everyone can feel it, but for empaths, it is magnified. That’s why we like music so much. In fact, we crave it. I can’t imagine even one day without music.

Music is vast. It is wide. It is a rich. There is a song for any and every emotion we may experience. (And your choices will be different from mine.) Discovering the right song that connects to the right emotion at the right time is fantastic. It’s magic, affirmation, and catharsis/emotional release all rolled up into one. The right notes and lyrics help us to express what we can’t express alone. It is feeling beyond our own words.

Songs become part of our personal histories. We remember what was playing when something happened. We remember what songs got us through the very tough times. We know what ones express our anger or our sadness. We remember which ones were played at celebrations and concerts. At times in our lives, we latch on to one song and play it over and over because it expresses what we are feeling so well. Later, a few notes from a familiar tune can take you right back to a moment in time and a particular place.

Music is my number one stress buster and motivator. I like to play it loud because it literally blasts everything else out of my head. I’m the one driving into the parking lot at work, and with windows rolled up, you can still hear my raucous music. (My colleagues find it funny because I am a calm and peaceful person. They don’t realize that my music helps me stay that way.) Music helps me to start the day on the “right note.”

Did you know that there is something called “music psychology”? It is the study of how music effects us. You can get a college degree in music psychology.

“Music psychology, or the psychology of music, may be regarded as a branch of both psychology and musicology. It aims to explain and understand musical behavior and experience, including the processes through which music is perceived, created, responded to, and incorporated into everyday life.” ~ Wikipedia

Music enriches our lives. There is a song for every emotion and every occasion. What are you listening to today?

“Come on!” Two of my favorite words. Especially when said with conviction. Especially when the singer belts it out into a microphone (head nod, head nod), it is an open invitation. It’s a singer’s battlecry. It’s a dare. It’s a let me take you on this emotional adventure with me, and you won’t regret it. It’s a call to get out of yourself and a let go moment. “Come on” says trust me. Take the trip. Hop on board. Let the music envelop you and change you. Float out of yourself and go. That’s what it feels like at a concert with a riveting performer. “Come on!” calls out and intensifies the experience.

“Come on!” is a wink, a tease, and a plea. “Come on” says join me, connect with me, please. “Come on” entices because it says, “I want You.” “I’m going on an adventure, and I want you to be a part of it.” I feel a physical pull in my heart when I hear these words, and usually I’m a goner (in true empath style).

Your answer to “Come on!” can be public or private. (As in, no one else has to know what is going on internally.) It can be in a collective moment, like at a concert when the music pulsates through your body and you move with it, or it can be a more private moment, like going off with a friend to parts unknown. Either way, it is YOUR moment. You get to say yay or nay. But if you say yay, say it with conviction and go.

“Come on!” can also be a shout out to rejoin the fray. Get back in the game. Spirit away. When I need to let it out and move on, I put on music. My old favorite “Come on!” is from Jim Morrison and the Doors in “LA Woman.” My new favorite “Come on!” is  from Sophia Urista and Brass Against in “Wake Up.” Made loud to be played loud. Releases emotions big time.

And if your’e feeling brave, drop a “Come on!” to someone else to join you  ~ and let go. No holds barred.

I still remember my first concert experience. My first impression was realizing that this live music experience was like no other. It had its own rhythm and ritual. It had its own fuel. I entered this world, and I was now part of it. I had the ticket to get in, I earned my rite of passage, and I was now one of the initiated. I was hooked for life.

Years later, I still revel in the concert experience. There is nothing like live music. NOTHING. It is both a deeply personal experience and simultaneously, a communal one. It is a time when empaths can sway through all the emotions freely. It is an exuberant time for us.

The songs evoke emotion. And often the emotion is linked to the memories of our lives – both the good times and the dark ones. When you hear a band live (rather than a recording), the experience is magnified. The singer is speaking to you. You feel the words and the notes. You may be singing or dancing along with him or her.

And then it becomes something bigger. It becomes a communal experience shared with those around you. You may nod to each other. You may sway together. They feel it as well. They remember it as well. It is the only time these days that I am comfortable in a crowd – that I feel this is my community, just for this moment, just in this space of time. It is a singular experience that will never be exactly repeated.

I went to a concert two days ago, and I am still in a state of semi-eupohria. That’s how good it was. The singer was intense, the band was at its best, the venue was beautiful, and I was with someone I love. But really, the best part of the concert was the connection. This singer literally reached out to us during the show – to us, his devoted fans. He climbed across the chairs into the audience to get closer to us without missing a beat. He captivated me all over again. It was personal and it was communal and the music swept through us. And I was once again grateful for the live music experience.

You feel too much. You think too much. You’re too intense. Hearing these things growing up, my thoughts were always the same. This is how I am. I don’t know how not to be this way.

I discovered early on that there was a place where I could publicly be as intense as I wanted without criticism – in my love of music. I don’t play, but oh, do I listen, and music has been an outlet for me my entire life.

Music abounds in our culture. It is easy to access throughout the day. You can listen to music as loud and as intensely and as often as you want. You can share it with passion and enjoy fandom. You can keep it to yourself and find self-expression through the songs you listen to.

Live music is euphoria for empaths. You can feel the pulse of the crowd. You can feel the intensity of the band. The singer’s words rip and flow through your veins. You lose yourself in the moment. It’s all feeling and movement and passion and you can just be who you are.

I like a wide range of music to match my many moods, but I gravitate toward crooners – the deeper voices sink into me. Listen to whatever moves you and helps you handle and express your emotions. Listening and feeling music every day just makes life better for us.