My Autobiography Through Lyrics
On Birth:
“Born in the U.S.A., I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A., born in the U.S.A.,” Bruce Springsteen
“I am a citizen of the planet, I was born here, I’m going to die here, come what may. I’m entitled by my birth to the treasures of the earth. No one must be denied these, no one must be denied. Easy dreams at the end of a chain-smokin’ day, easy dreams at the end of the day,” Simon & Garfunkel
On Childhood:
“Educated in a small town, taught to fear Jesus in a small town.
“Used to daydream in that small town, another boring romantic, that’s me,” John Mellencamp.
“Catholic girls start much too late. They showed you a statue, told you to pray, built you a temple, and locked you away
Aw, but they never told you the price that you pay for things that you might have done. The stained-glass curtain you’re hiding behind
never lets in the sun,” Billy Joel
“Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,” Leonard Cohen
And you, of tender years,
can’t know the fears your elders grew by. Help them with your youth, they seek the truth before they can die. Teach your parents well,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
On Parents:
“Dad, your love has surpassed life and death
It left me a scar
Gold under the stone
Now that heaven’s your home
Will you watch over me?” Arkavello
“No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally,” Gilbert O’Sullivan
On College Life:
“Hail, hail rock and roll
Deliver me from the days of old
Long live rock and roll
The beat of the drum is loud and bold
Rock, rock, rock and roll
The feelin’ is there, body and soul,” Chuck Berry
“A wild world, figuring out the answers
I’ll be in my own dance and iiii…
I’m questioning my education
Rewind, and what does it show?
Could be, the truth becomes you
I’m a seed, wondering why it grows…,” Pearl Jam
On Lost Love:
“You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised in a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days
I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited
But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it
I had hoped you’d see my face
And that you’d be reminded that for me, it isn’t over.” Adele
On Marriage/ Children:
“Love and marriage, love and marriage,
they go together like the horse and carriage,” Frank Sinatra
“Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy,” John Lennon
“It’s time for us to clap our hands In rhythm with the beat Time for hands to clap awhile Hey hey hey,” Raffi
“Isn’t She Lovely,” Stevie Wonder
“The Wheels on the Bus go round and round,” Verna Mills
“School days, school days, dear old golden rule days,” Cobb and Edwards
On Divorce:
“Time after time, you refuse to even listen. I wouldn’t mind if I knew what I was missing,” Paul McCartney
“I can buy myself flowers
Write my name in the sand
Talk to myself for hours
Say things you don’t understand,” Miley Cyrus
On Single Life:
“A working class hero is somethin’ to be
A working class hero is somethin’ to be
They hurt you at home, and they hit you at school
They hate if you’re clever and despise a fool
’Til you’re so fuckin’ crazy, you can’t follow their rules
A working class hero is somethin’ to be
A working class hero is somethin’ to be,” Green Day
“Oh, the storm is threatening
My very life today.
If I don’t get some shelter
Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away,” The Rolling Stones
On Love and Loss:
“These are the seasons of emotion
And like the winds, they rise and fall
This is the wonder of devotion
I seek the torch we all must hold
This is the mystery of the coldest quotient
Upon us all, a little rain must fall
It’s just a little rain, oh, oh, ooh, yeah,” Led Zeppelin
On Spirit Awakening:
“That’s me in the corner
That’s me in the spotlight
Losing my religion,” R.E.M.
“Yeah, spirit
Watch the heavens open (open)
Yeah
Spirit
Can you hear it callin’? (Callin’)
Yeah,” Beyonce
On Freedom:
“This is the sound of rushing water (rushing water)
Flooding through my brain (flooding through my brain)
This is the sound of God’s daughter (own daughter)
Calling out your name,” Sting
“You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free
Run away, find you a lover
Go away somewhere, all bright and new,” Tom Petty
On Aging:
“Glory days
Well, they’ll pass you by, glory days
In the wink of a young girl’s eye, glory days
Glory days (Alright),” Bruce Springsteen
“The life I used to lead was a little too frantic
I guess I just got eyes to grow old and grey
And if what I have in mind isn’t super romantic
I guess I always saw myself this way,” James Taylor
“Hey, you, out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old
Can you feel me?” Pink Floyd
“Come, senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin’
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin,” Bob Dylan
“I listen to the wind to the wind of my soul
Where I’ll end up well, I think, only God really knows,” Cat Stevens
Well, now you know me!
Wishing you peace, love and all that hippie shit.
It is good to have an edge.
Love, Brooklyn
Brooklyn, using a playlist to map your life makes perfect sense. We naturally
borrow the words of songwriters when we can't figure out how to explain our own
messy phases. The shift from the loud energy of Springsteen to the quiet
acceptance of Cat Stevens is a road most of us eventually walk. It is a great
way to let people in.