This post was originally posted on my Patreon page. This song is available to download straight away if you become a patron :)
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I hope you are all well and enjoying 2017 :) It has been a weird 12 months out there in the world. It's hard not to be affected by what is going on. I was recently chatting to a friend of mine who came back from volunteering in a refugee camp in Greece. She returned home (to Birmingham) just as the Christmas rush was hitting it's peak.
She commented on how weird it felt to be in the middle of this crazy Christmas throng, this consumerism and commented how people seemed so caught up in it all, that they were 'glazed over'. The camp she was in is 8 month old and still with no electricity.
It was from that conversation that this song came. It's called "Desensitised" (lyrics at the bottom of this post) and it is about how we act, aware intellectually of what is going on "out there" but it is hard to draw on that information and create a real feeling, worthy of action. This desensitisation affects many aspects of our lives (thanks media) and it's totally on our shoulders now. I consider this point within my own jounrey towards and embracing Veganism.
So, a resolution for 2017 for me (do we still do resolutions?!) is to help more. Read more about issues that others are facing, draw it in, FEEL it, try harder to understand, to sympathise, to assist...
...to do more in here about what's going on out there.
I hope you enjoy the song. It's unlike any I have ever written. It consists of only two chords (WTF!?) and I tried to create an atmosphere with it. Don’t know if it works or if I will ever even play it again but it is what I am feeling right now.
Did you make any resolutions? What are your 2017 plans? More gigs? More music? I hope so! I hope it brings you more joy, more laughter and more fun!
P.S. My friend, Holly, has a blog sharing her experiences. Please have a read and share: https://hollythomasmusic.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/where-did-all-that-money-go/
And whilst I am at it, my friend Doug spent his summer in Palestine volunteering. Here is his blog about his time there: https://musicalcircusmonkey.wordpress.com/
Take care!! xxxx
LYRICS
What am I doing in here, about what's going on out there?
I saw him on the internet, he's young and looks so scared
For years I have designed my privileged life
Justifying the conditions I’ve created, to close my eyes
He was there under the stairs for the past 8 hours
Waiting until the noise stops, the noise stops, the noise stopped
He was there under the stairs for the past 8 hours
Waiting until the noise stops, the noise stops, the noise stopped
Desensitised to all of the pain, you and I
It’s important to remain awake because really we're just the same
It must stop now, stop our cowardly reflections, choosing our directions for us
Deep down we know what’s right
So let’s do more in here about what’s going on out there
Imagine it was you and they came to devastate wouldn’t you be scared?
He was there under the stairs for the past 8 hours
Waiting until the noise stops, the noise stops, the noise stopped
He was there under the stairs for the past 8 hours
Listening as the bombs dropped, bombs dropped, bombs dropped
Sunrise brings rest, for a while
Sunrise brings rest
What can we do, to make the noise stop?
What must we do, to make the noise stop?