Change these colors of blue and grey
I can’t stand it anymore
The sun keeps rising on the wrong side of town
Don’t you walk out that door
I can’t breath, I can’t see
I call out your name
It’s alright you say, I can’t wait
I will be home someday
Have you been there, my friend
Searching high and low
Imagine closely a painless world
How can you say no
Don’t you run, don’t you hide
Don’t turn your back away
It’s alright you say, I can’t wait
Oh please come home someday
Let me take you to a land
With no castles in the sand
While there is still time
Won’t we do it today
Let me carry you away
From the scene of the crime
Take this rainbow away from the dark
Clear these clouds away
Let me smell your roses again
Send forth the light of day
I can’t breath, I can’t see
I call out your name
It’s alright you say, I can’t wait
I will be home someday
First, I’d like to give Selma a big thanks for she deemed me worthy of such an honorable award. Thank you, my friend! I will always remember that you deserve it first.
Anyhow, I was reading her latest post, The Sound Of Time A-Passing, earlier today. For some reason, I felt a little depressed afterwards. Perhaps, because I am at the same point in life as she is now. Although, sometimes I get busy with my own life that I forget about time and how it affects my relationship with my own family. It’s not easy for me to constantly think about my family as they are on the other side of the planet and I don’t get to see them often. Maybe once every twenty years. Yep, not much. Told ya.
This past week, I have also been wrapped up with packing and cleaning and getting ready for my big move this weekend. I might not even be on here for a few days while all this transitioning takes place.
But, back to family. I can’t tell you how many times I have woken up in the middle of the night, with tears in my eyes, wondering how much time is left until my aging parents finally depart. They’re in their early 70’s now. When I left home in the mid 80’s, my dad was tough like Goodfellas. Now, it’s like I’m watching Cocoon.
Anyhow, I didn’t mean to rattle off on this topic. After all, this post is about a song I wrote. It is installment number two of my Songs about Heaven series. On this one, I’m expressing heaven in the form of the house I grew up in. Not that it is anything comparable, in the least. But when you’re a kid growing up, it is the only place you know. It is the greatest place. And it is yours. This house is where you find security. This is where your innocence comes from. In this house, you might even have your own room. This room is where you build your personal sanctuary. It’s where you carve your very own identity. Yours was probably painted with an outrageous color. It’s where you have the coolest things flaunted like trophies. Like a stereo system (mine had a turntable to boot). Posters of KISS on the wall (at least for me, this was the case). And still, after a hard days work in school or a rough play with your next-door friends outside, you always come home to mom and dad. All muddy and hungry, sometimes. Hollering as you go into your room to change… “what’s for dinner, mom?”
Yeah, that’s home, alright. And one day, I know I will be back. Just like when I was little. But this time, it will be a little different. A good kind of different. And I so look forward to it, like you wouldn’t believe.
In My House
i remember sitting on the gutter at my parents’ place
playing barefoot with the neighbors’ kids down our street
recalling days of youth as if they were just the other day
no i still can’t seem to scrub the dirt off my feet
cause in my house hangs a picture of a sunny sky
and in my house hangs a picture of yesterday waving goodbye
and in my house there’s an old chair that my father gave to me
and i sit there in the afternoon as i try to rest in my dreams
winter comes and winter goes and, uh, it always seems that way
but i swear it never gets any colder than this, no no
and time may slow and time may flow but in the end it all goes away
but when the bell begins to toll there’s nothing i would miss here
cause in my house hangs a picture of a sunny sky
and in my house hangs a picture of yesterday waving goodbye
and in my house there’s an old chair that my father gave to me
and i sit there in the afternoon as i try to rest in my dreams
i try to rest in my dreams
and the water it streams when you rest in your dreams
i remember driving my car in the pouring rain
and you were with me though i know that day you didn’t want to
my thoughts they always used to haunt me like a man insane
though the scars remain forever
may forever be with you, yeah
cause in my house hangs a picture of the morning sky
and in my house hangs a picture of yesterday waving goodbye
and in my house there’s an old chair that my father gave to me
and i sit there in the afternoon, yeah, uh huh
yes in my house hangs a picture of a diamond’s glow
and in my house hangs a picture of tomorrow saying hello
and in my house there’s an old chair that my father gave to me
and i sit there in the afternoon as i try to rest in my dreams
Nine more days to go and I’m off to my brand new flat! I’m so excited and anxious, I can hardly wait. I just want to do this and be there already. Thoughts of this reminded me of a time when nine out of ten songs I wrote was about heaven.
Why do you think it is? I believe, I’ve always been a positive thinker and would always look forward to tomorrow being a better day than today. The downside is that I couldn’t enjoy today as much because I was too busy focusing on tomorrow. It’s almost like a child that couldn’t sleep in excitement realizing that when he/she wakes up, the family is going on a trip to Disneyland. How could you possibly sleep, alright?
Now, I’m not sure how many songs about heaven I’ve actually managed to write and record through the years but I can imagine it being at least half of all my songs. That’s how much I love the idea of it.
A lot of us have our own vision of heaven. Some people see it as walking in the clouds. Some think it’s a castle. I mean, the possibilities are endless. In my opinion, there’s just no way we can even be close to describing its sheer beauty. It goes beyond our wildest imagination, for sure.
When you attempt to cram the idea of heaven in a song, you don’t even want to try to be perfect. To humble yourself by keeping it down to human levels, I think, is the best possible description you can make.
I see heaven in different ways. Each song I write describes it in ways I can see with human eyes and experience with human emotions. That’s all I can do, really.
Since, every once in a while, I post a music blog, I thought it would be nice to showcase a set of songs about heaven. One post at a time, that is. So this is part one. And the first song is called Welcome to the Ball. This song describes heaven as a ballroom party. Like a high school prom, perhaps. There are scenes of dancing, conversations, food buffet and a fountain out in the garden where you can walk and enjoy the breeze. The venue? At a fancy hotel sitting atop a fluffy cloud. It’s a whimsical description with the overall theme of happiness, celebration and good company. And by the way… I just got an invitation!
Did you get yours yet?
Welcome to the Ball
Stand up by the fountains in the sky
Stars lay in your eyes
Pick a flower in my little garden
And roam with the butterflies
Hide your head in the clouds above
Fill your plate with mounds of love
Have some fruit, oh by the way
I love your suit but do you feel alright
Here you wait a moment till the gates are opened
Then you’ll see the light
Let your little flower grow
Cuz when I call you need to know
And take with you everyone you meet
Cuz here we go
Welcome to the ball
We can talk forever at the ball
You can chase your blues away
Welcome to the ball
Fill your cup with laughter at the ball
And you can dance the night away… come on
Yeah, yeah, yeah…
Come on up, help yourself at the table
And don’t forget to taste the wine, no no
And take a stroll down the gallery
Where snapshots of your memories
Hang down the line
See the courtyard by the pool
Here you’ll find the breeze is cool
Come and meet everybody
Cuz here we go
Welcome to the ball
We can talk forever at the ball
You can chase your blues away
Welcome to the ball
Fill your cup with laughter at the ball
And you can dance the night away… come on
Now, I’m not sure how many songs about heaven I’ve actually managed to write and record through the years but I can imagine it being at least half of all my songs. That’s how much I love the idea of it.
Chris Alma José 