There are certain songs that just resonate with you. Whether that song recreates a moment in time or is just one that you really like, these songs are the songs that helped create the person you are and were a constant companion in the journey called life.
Today we continue exploring those songs in my life and what they mean to me. This is Those Certain Songs. Today’s Song, Say Yes by Elliot Smith
The Song:
Title: Say Yes
Artist: Elliot Smith
Album: Either/Or
The Lyrics:
Who’s still around the morning after
We broke up a month ago and I grew up I didn’t know
I’d be around the morning after
A happy day and then you pay
And feel like shit the morning after
But now I feel changed around and instead falling down
I’m standing up the morning after
You tell me the morning after
I’m damaged bad at best
She’ll decide what she wants
No one says until it shows, see how it is
They want you or they don’t
Say yes
Who’s still around the morning after
What it means to me:
I discovered Elliot Smith far to late to truly appreciate his genius while he was still alive. It was sometime in in the mid 2000’s when his work entered my world. It was through a cover of this very song from band that no longer exists called The Currents. (don’t bother looking them up, they never officially released anything and the one you find isn’t them) When I discovered that he had died in a tragic yet not fully explained way, I was devastated that there would be no more from this extremely talented guy.
I tend to feel things very deeply and, when I have my heart broken, man does it feel like the world is ending. Elliot words explaining that he is shocked that someone he loves is still around ‘the morning after’ pretty much describes my thoughts when it comes to anyone that cares for me. This, of course, applied to my younger self fully expecting to be alone for ever, but also to my current middle aged self as well. While I have been with my wife for over a decade, I still wonder how it is she is still around the morning after.
At some point in our lives, we all feel like we are not worthy of the world around us. While deep inside we know that this isn’t true, that we are in fact more than worthy to exist, we have our fears and doubts that plague us in the quiet moments between the moments of joy and confidence. While this song is clearly about a relationship, that relationship can be interpreted into just about any kind, not just one between two people. It can be a job, a work of art, or just between you and yourself. Many of us feel like imposters in our own lives and, Like Elliot sings, sometimes it feels that the world want’s you, or they don’t and all you want from the world is for it to Say Yes.
There is something comforting in Elliot’s words that make this one of Those Certain Songs. In a way, his song about the pain of ‘the morning after’ tells me that none of us are alone in our uncertainty in the world or of our acceptance by said world. The key is, accepting yourself for who you are and then, you can worry about what others think of you. Bottom line, you have to love yourself first.
Late to the Game 5/2/2020
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed Those Certain Songs. If you would like to read more about music you can find my Music Reviews Here.
Additionally, I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and also check out some retro tv goodness with the ongoing series Retro TV Reviews.
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