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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by pegasus on March 14, 2004, at 14:32:51
Hi All,
Since so many people are feeling so bad today, I thought I'd post the lyrics to one of my favorite songs about depression. It's by Dar Williams, and I like it because, while it perfectly describes how I feel when depressed, it also has a happy ending. It makes more sense, I think, when you hear it, so you can understand the timing. You can buy the song from the Apple iTunes Music Store if you want (and have iTunes). Or it's on Dar's album, The Green World.
After All
Dar WilliamsGo ahead, push your luck
Find out how much love the world can hold
Once upon a time I had control
And reined my soul in tightWell the whole truth
Is like the story of a wave unfurled
But I held the evil of the world
So I stopped the tide
Froze it up from insideAnd it felt like a winter machine
That you go through and then
You catch your breath and winter starts again
And everyone else is spring boundAnd when I chose to live
There was no joy, it's just a line I crossed
It wasn't worth the pain my death would cost
So I was not lost or foundAnd if I was to sleep
I knew my family had more truth to tell
And so I traveled down a whispering well
To know myself through themGrowing up, my mom had a room full of books
And hid away in there
Her father raging down a spiral stair
Till he found someone
Most days his sonAnd sometimes I think
My father, too, was a refugee
I know they tried to keep their pain from me
They could not see what it was forBut now I'm sleeping fine
Sometimes the truth is like a second chance
I am the daughter of a great romance
And they are the children of the warWell the sun rose with so many colors
It nearly broke my heart
And worked me over like a work of art
And I was a part of all thatSo go ahead, push your luck
Say what it is you've got to say to me
We will push on into that mystery
And it'll push right back
And there are worse things than that'Cause for every price
And every penance that I could think of
It's better to have fallen in love
Than never to have fallen at all'Cause when you live in a world
Well it gets in to who you thought you'd be
And now I laugh at how the world changed me
I think life chose me after allDar also has a great song about therapy "What Do You Hear In These Sounds". You can hear it and see the video here: http://launch.yahoo.com/artist/videos.asp?artistID=1029216
- p
Posted by lepus on March 14, 2004, at 14:58:18
In reply to Dar Williams song about depression, posted by pegasus on March 14, 2004, at 14:32:51
I love Dar Williams. She has so many great songs. I have seen her in concert numerous times.
Another great depression song is written by Natalie Merchant and performed when she was still with 10,000 Maniacs.
Here are the lyrics:
The color of the sky as far as I can see is coal grey.
Lift my head from the pillow and then fall again.
With a shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather.
A quiver in my lips as if I might cry.
Well by the force of will my lungs are filled and so I breathe.
Lately it seems this big bed is where I never leave.
Shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather.
Quiver in my voice as I cry,
"What a cold and rainy day. Where on earth is the sun hid away."
I hear the sound of a noon bell chime. Now I'm far behind.
You've put in 'bout half a day while here I lie
with a shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather.
A quiver in my lip as if I might cry,
"What a cold and rainy day. Where on earth is the sun hid away?"Do I need someone here to scold me
or do I need someone who'll grab and pull me out of this
four poster dull torpor pulling downward.
For it is such a long time since my better days.
I say my prayers nightly this will pass away.
The color of the sky is grey as I can see through the blinds.
Lift my head from the pillow and then fall again
with a shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather.
A quiver in my voice as I cry,
"What a cold and rainy day. Where on earth is the sun hid away?"
I shiver, quiver, and try to wake.
Posted by pegasus on March 14, 2004, at 16:49:57
In reply to Re: Dar Williams song about depression, posted by lepus on March 14, 2004, at 14:58:18
Wow, that gets it right too. Although, it doesn't have a happy ending. Which is fine in terms of songwriting. But I find that if I listen to songs that take me to that depressed place, but don't bring me back, it's kind of dangerous for myself.
Do you know any other good songs that speak to you about depression? Or about how not to be depressed. I'd like to have a few more in my emotional first aid kit.
- p
Posted by pegasus on March 14, 2004, at 17:49:28
In reply to More depression songs » lepus, posted by pegasus on March 14, 2004, at 16:49:57
I just found this result of a BBC survey this year. The question was what song is the best for listening to when you're depressed. The answers were (drum roll):
1. The Smiths - I Know It's Over
2. Bowling For Soup - Girl All The Bad Guys Want
3. REM - Everybody Hurts
4. The Cure - Pictures Of You
5. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
6. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
7. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
8. Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel - Don't Give Up
9. Blur - This Is A Low
20. The Beatles - Good Day SunshineObviously these were Brits taking the poll. Nothing against Brits, or any of these songs! Just an observation that a lot of these songs are by British artists.
Apparently many of the respondents like to listen to really depressing songs when they're already depressed.
- p
Posted by lepus on March 14, 2004, at 22:59:36
In reply to OK I'll answer my own post - BBC survey results, posted by pegasus on March 14, 2004, at 17:49:28
Hmm...a lot of those songs seem to be inspiration for picking up a gun rather than picking up your mood.
I listen to depressing music when I am depressed because it helps me give a good cry. I rarely can otherwise. So, a super depressing song can be cathartic. I have a good cry and feel a little better.
I will search my files to see if I have any other songs that deal with depression in a more uplifting manner. Sleep meds are kicking in right now!
Posted by fallsfall on March 15, 2004, at 7:16:11
In reply to Re: OK I'll answer my own post - BBC survey results, posted by lepus on March 14, 2004, at 22:59:36
Crash and Burn by Savage Garden is sung from the point of view of a friend who will always be there to help - just like Babble!
CRASH AND BURN
When you feel all alone
And the world has turned it's back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door
And you feel like you can't take anymoreLet me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not aloneWhen you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught in a one way street
With the monsters in your head
When hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel like you can't face the dayLet me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not aloneBecause there has always been heartache and pain
And when it's over you'll breathe again
You'll breathe againWhen you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please
To tame your wild wild heartLet me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
Posted by Dinah on March 15, 2004, at 20:12:53
In reply to Dar Williams song about depression, posted by pegasus on March 14, 2004, at 14:32:51
Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton) when I want to echo my mood.
When I want to lift it, good old fashioned Gospel music, or even hymns. Or watching Dirty Dancing. I need the video to go with the music though.
Posted by pegasus on March 17, 2004, at 0:10:06
In reply to Re: Dar Williams song about depression, posted by Dinah on March 15, 2004, at 20:12:53
Gospel music! What a great idea. I love it when I hear it, but I don't know much about it. I can see that it would be very uplifting. What do you listen to, exactly.
Thanks for the idea!
- p
Posted by pegasus on March 17, 2004, at 0:12:30
In reply to Re: Depression Songs, posted by fallsfall on March 15, 2004, at 7:16:11
Sounds like a great anti-depression song. I'm going to track it down and give a listen.
Music just seems to have such a big effect on my moods. Maybe that's universally true.
- p
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