Fragments of June

Here's a song I've been working on for a while now. I thought I'd share it here, since I have nothing else that's worthwhile to put up. Breaking away from my usual style, this one has a non-traditional rhyme scheme. Feedback and comments are most welcome. I have a melody in my head and a riff to go with it, so the song should be recorded and uploaded here in time. Stay tuned, folks!

Verse 1:

I'm picking myself off the floor,
Trying to piece it all together,
As the minutes turn into hours,
And today becomes forever!
It's hard to hold on, when all you're holding on to,
Is nothing at all!
But I can't break this fall!
I'm clutching at thin air!

Chorus 1:

You'll look back one day, and you will remember,
The misery we authored, for each other,
That cold forlorn December!
And every walk on the beach, in brisk April!
But the warmth we thought was here to stay,
Has faded fast, like the nights in May!
It was all over too soon!
But you will think of me,
And this soul you will see!
In every fragment of June!

Verse 2:

Too long I danced with your demons,
Part of your delusional mess!
Listening to your messed up reasons,
I'd fallen too hard for you, I confess!
Don't you just love the farce, the poetry in the misery,
The lunacy of it all,
But now, I'm standing tall,
Now, the war in my head is done! 

Chorus 2:

You'll look back one day, and you will remember,
The misery we authored, for each other,
That cold forlorn December!
And every walk on the beach, in brisk April!
If you realize I'm not around for you one day,
Remember, you're the one that pushed me away!
You ended it all too soon!
But you will think of me,
And this face you will see!
In every fragment of June!

Bridge:

And all you feel, and all you see,
Is all your life will ever be!
I hope the pretense was worth the while!
You're praying that time will erase the memories,
As the silence screams through the insanity!
I hope one day we can look back at this and smile!

Outro:

One day you'll wake up to realize,
I was everything you ever wanted,
But when that day comes, I'll be waking up next to the one,
Who already knew...

Beat It!

Two years have gone by, like the blink of an eye, since a musical genius was taken away from us. Here's my insignificant attempt at paying homage to a man who may have moved on physically, but whose legend will live on forever! Thank you Michael!

On a quiet day in August of ’58, a revolution in dance and music began. So humble were the beginnings of this little boy, born to a working class family in Chicago, that the world would never have chanced a second glance. But that boy was to become the Michael Jackson, a legend in every sense of the word and a phenomenon that would forever change the world of pop music and dance.

Michael Jackson was a living legend, much more than just a singer, a musician or a dancer. Beginning with his early days with the Jackson 5, Michael was forced to achieve perfection, by his no nonsense father, Joe Jackson. Michael and his brothers spent hours on end in the studio practicing and perfecting what would soon become the marvel that was five preteen boys that would shake the world of Motown and soul. The short tempered Joe Jackson was known to keep the boys on a very short leash, and the smallest mistakes in the studio would result in severe whippings. Michael lost out on the bulk of his childhood years and often expressed his grief at this loss. Of his childhood years, Michael would say “Well, you don't get to do things that other children get to do, having friends and slumber parties and buddies. There were none of that for me. I didn't have friends when I was little”. Michael also tearfully spoke of his relationship with his father in an interview saying “My father was a management genius. But what I really wanted was a dad”. This, among other things, would shape the person Michael was soon to become.

Michael Jackson was the epitome of perfection. Michael would later say “I was a veteran, before I was a teenager”, and the world knows this to be true. While most black musicians were still playing with the sounds of Motown or going so far as to experiment with rap and blues, Michael Jackson entered the world of pop music and changed it forever. His signature ‘voice of an angel’ which spawned such hits as ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Beat it’, ‘Thriller’, ‘Black or White’ and the mellower ‘Heal the World’ was what set him apart from most other artists. Michael wrote or co-wrote most of his greatest hits, choosing to base them on subjects that were relatable to the youth, to the common folk, to simply the average Joe of that generation. His songs spoke about ending racism, beating drugs and peer pressure and building a better planet for future generations, among other things and the fans loved him. Michael performed at sold out concerts across the globe, even visiting our very own India in 1996 to perform.

And Boy! M.J. had the moves! He took break dancing and turned it over on its head, inventing his own moves and giving his fanbase a run for its money. His iconic choreography, seen in every single one of his videos drove his fans crazy. Every 4 year old boy who aspired to be a dancer was trying Michael’s ‘moonwalk’, a move that he took mainstream, without actually inventing it. Michael Jackson’s stylish, high-concept choreography and music videos were more than just song and dance; they lifted his audience to another realm. His jaw-dropping, theatrical style, the electric twists and turns and eclectic over the top performances would inspire generations of performers to come including Usher, Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake. Michel not only revolutionized the art of break and popping and locking with pure unparalleled showmanship and stage presence, he also forever changed the way a human person would move to a beat on the dance floor. To this day, noted choreographers across the globe will slow down a good Michael dance video to learn the complexities of dance routines that can be copied but never improved on, because the unflawed genius that had come up with them in the first place could not be matched.

For all his fame and fortune, however, Michael Jackson was the quintessence of humility. For several years of his life, Michael contributed to over 20 different charities. The proceeds from his song ‘Heal the World’ that he co-wrote with Lionel Ritchie went to help the poor in the U.S. and Africa and provided famine relief for millions of struggling people. After burning his fingers several times with negative publicity, Michael gradually became more reclusive from the paparazzi and the media; however he never stopped trying to please the fans. Michael Jackson would do absolutely anything for his fans, going so far as to give needy children the grand tour and endless fun in his sprawling 2,700-acre, $17 million ranch – Neverland, which was equipped with everything a child could ever dream of dreaming about. ‘Neverland’ came from the tale of Peter Pan, a story about a boy who never wanted to grow up and essentially that was exactly what Michael was – the boy that never grew up. Michael was always a child at heart, and his greatest love was spending time at his ranch with Bubbles, his pet chimpanzee. In rare footage shot for a documentary on Michael, British TV personality Martin Bashir asked Michael what inspires him to write music and where he found ideas for his songs. Michael took Bashir to a tree he called ‘The Giving Tree’, and climbed into its uppermost branches from where he could see Neverland in its entirety. Michael said that the tree was one of his most sacred spaces and that he had been inspired to write or had written some of his best work while seated in that tree. In essence, this single incident captures the simplicity and childlike innocence that was Michael Jackson.

Michael lived a lonely life, always in the glare of the media. Ironically, the very folk that celebrated his success and set him up for glory would use his shortcomings as fuel to bring about his ruin. I am sure this irony did not escape Michael as he fought a solitary battle against the lies that were being spread about him. Michael Jackson may have had several personal demons to deal with from allegations of child abuse, to stories of his impending bankruptcy, later on in his career and his issues with his skin disorder. However, I will not dwell on these things; instead I choose to celebrate the good that Michael was and still continues to be to the millions of fans he left behind. M.J. will continue to inspire generations of people to simply make a change by starting with the man in the mirror, to make this world a better place for future generations. God rest your precious soul, Michael! Like the rainbow, fading in the twinkling of an eye, you too have gone too soon!

I'll hear your voice

Well this one's not mine, just lyrics for a song that's been playing in my head for too long now. Thank you Rockapella, for putting into words, what I will never be able to. And a breath taking tune to go with it! You guys are the best!

And now that we've reached the end,
I think of all that's passed...
Of how the time that went so fast.
And of how I've come to depend
Upon the faith I feel inside your guiding hands.

Say you'll go with me forever, though I know that you can't.
Well I ain't much with words...
There's nothin' I could say that you ain't heard,
But I promise you each and every day...

I'll hear your voice, in every thought that flows through my mind.
I'll see your face, in every cloud that floats through my sky.
And when the world is too much,
And the hurt's got me down on my knees to pray...
I'll hear your voice...
And you won't be so far away.

Do you remember a moonless night?
With only sound for a view,
It's funny what an ocean can do.
Say you'll go with me wherever, even though I know it's just a dream.
Though I know it's unknown,
It's something that I gotta do alone...
But I swear to you...
I could never do...
Anything without your soul inside!

Someday I'll hold you, and we will be sailin'.
And I will never have to say goodbye again,
Till then, till that day...

She has my rib...

She has my rib, she's out there somewhere,
He created her only for me.
And as long it takes, I'm willing to wait,
To fulfill my destiny.

She was created from me, my own flesh and bone,
Chosen for me 'fore the dawn of time,
She's somewhere out there, she's awaiting the day,
When I'll be hers and she will be mine!

She has my rib, more than just a part of myself,
She completes the person I will become,
As, in the grand scheme of things, the Master doth bring,
Two people together to become One!

She's the girl of my dreams, I may already know her,
Everything that is and will be the best in me,
She's the calm to the storm of my soul,
The fragment that will make me whole,
The release that will set this trapped soul free!

She's the rhythm to my blues, the plan in place,
Long before I was a baby in my crib,
The missing piece to the puzzle of my life,
The gal who will one day be my wife,
And so I wait patiently, for her that has my rib!

You'll remember...

One day you will read this back and smile,
Because you'll realize that all the while,
Every word in this little note was so true,
And as your smile turns to tears,
You'll remember the boy that would calm the fears,
And how much he will always care for you!

You'll remember the bestest times you shared with that friend,
How it grew into a love, that you knew would never end,
And telling him he was everything you wanted in a guy,
As the seconds become minutes, and the hours turn into days,
You will wonder how you let all the stupidity stand in the way,
And you'll wipe away tears and ask yourself why.

You'll remember paying heed to what the whole world had to say,
And how you decided to throw it all away,
The bullshit, meant more to you than what could have been,
You'll think back to the world he gave up for you,
And remember how you told him, that you never asked him to,
But for you, he'd do it all over again, in a heartbeat!

You were being judged by the dirtiest of sinners,
But in their eyes, being accepted, made you a winner,
There's nothing he could ever say, to change your mind,
You'll remember all those nights you cried,
Because you won't have him by your side,
And the comfort he gave you, through your lowest times.

He was boring, he couldn't dance,
You’ll had different interests, so you never gave him a chance,
How stupid and shallow the grounds!
Yet deep down, you'll always know,
That you loved him, and always wanted him, so,
You'll remember how the scars were once, just unhealed wounds.

Because one day, all the rubbish that people said won't even matter,
Every idle soul, will waste away precious life, with futile chatter!
You're living your life by the standards of fickle minds,
You'll look back at what was, and what could have become,
And you'll realize what you missed, had this not come undone,
And one day, you'll remember...what you left behind...

When I get where I'm going...

When I leave the realm of the living, I don't want to be remembered as a good singer, a good musician or a good guitarist.

I don't want to be talked about as the life of the party, as great company or as the clown who could make everyone smile.

I'd rather be remembered by the closest of my friends as a generous person who gave of myself until there was nothing left to give. And then some more. I'd rather be remembered as a friend who was always there when I was needed, and sometimes even when I wasn't :). If my friends remember me as this person, I can die a happy man.

My purpose on this planet has been fulfilled!

Like I've loved you...

Don't love me just because I make you laugh,
Enter a room and leave it in splits,
Don't love me because you just like my company,
Or 'cause I'm capable of boring you to bits!

Love me instead, because you cannot live without me,
Because every thought of me, makes you catch your breath,
Love me for all these reasons and more,
Like I've loved you, from the second we met!

Don't fall in love with the mere idea of me,
A persona, a fad, that changes through the years,
Don't romanticize the person you think I will be,
Or love me 'cause I will dry away your every tear.

Love me instead, because when you lie awake at night,
I'm the last thought that goes through your brain.
Like I've loved you before, and I will forevermore,
You will learn to love me, all over again.

Don't listen to an illusion someone else presents of me,
They all think their opinions are the Truth.
The Truth is, that I am exactly the person I was meant to be,
And none of them know me the way you do.

And judge me not, for a few mistakes I've made,
I'm only human; they do not, this person, define,
Take the effort to see, past my few insecurities,
Don't throw it all away, just 'cause you don't have the time.

Love the person I am as a whole, no holds barred,
Love me for all that you know is true,
For more than just the memories, the fun and the insanity,
Love me...Like I've loved you...

Learning Life Lessons

"I believe everything happens for a reason. People change so you can learn how to let go. Things go wrong, so that you appreciate them, when they're right. You believe lies, so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself. And sometimes, good things fall apart, so better things can fall together."

I found this quote off one of the wallpapers that I downloaded off the Itunes store, and I could not find anything as apt as this to explain my life right now. It's like someone, somewhere was looking down at me, and realized I needed some words of wisdom, and presto! I got to wondering who my "someone, somewhere" was, so I decided to look up the author of this brilliance and of all the people in the world it turned out to be...brace yourselves...Marilyn Monroe! Whoever said beauty came with no brains? The next person that tells me a dumb blonde joke is going to get it in the nads! Hard!

Everything does happen for a reason. At the time, it might seem like the universe is trying to rub shit in your face, while everything's falling apart. But there's always a reason for the things that happen in a person's life. What doesn't kill you after all, only makes you stronger. (Or weirder, if you're the late Mr. Ledger in the guise of the joker! The Dark Night gets my vote for one of the greatest movies of all time!) There's a reason why the tiniest drop of rain forms a perfect spatter mark on the windshield of a car. There's a reason to every beginning, to every end, and to every middle that you may find yourself stuck in. The Big Man up there knows what he's doing, and just when the boat feels like it's heading out into uncharted waters, He will throw you a rope that will make you smile. That rope will make you realize, looking back, that this journey we're all on has been charted from the very beginning, and that everything that happens along the way, plays a crucial role in shaping the people we become. The choices that we make at these junctures in our existence are the choices we will live with all our lives!

People change, either for the better or for the worse. They move on to bigger, better things, or they choose to stay behind and talk, because every situation in your life or mine deserves their scrutiny and then their two cents. While it's important to take the advice of friends, it's even more important to make your own decisions, not basing them on what people think of you, or what the world says about you. You can either conform to the standards that the world sets for you, and be miserable with that life, or live life the way you want to and be truly happy. Whatever the case, eventually, you are the one who must live with the consequences of the decisions that you make, so why bother with what the world says about you? I don't!

The beauty of this existence is that it doesn't come with an eraser, or a disclaimer. You're allowed to make your mistakes and learn from them. And mistakes you will make my friend! When everything's going down the crapper, you'll see why there's a little button that's marked 'Flush', just within your reach. And you'll learn to value the good that you have in your life, instead of taking it all for granted. We take too much for granted, and have to lose it all to realize what it meant. And we get used to losing out on the important things in life, because that grotesque monster we call our pride doesn't allow us to admit we've made mistakes.

Finally, every good thing must come to an end. We cling on so dearly, even at the finale, like a child being dragged away from Lego land, little realizing that one thing has to draw to a close, for something even better to take its place. We hold on, stubborn as ever, so scared of change, so unwilling to ever give in and allow the new to take the place of the old, because we're afraid to trust that there's a certain order to all the chaos, if you just choose to look close enough. We're always so reluctant to leave our comfort zones, to let go of the familiar, because we're immediately wary that the unfamiliar may hold challenges that we cannot handle. But what if the unfamiliar is what was always meant to be? What if the unfamiliar, the difficult, the 'going against the flow', the narrow and winding path is the one that will bring you more joy than you could possibly imagine? Would you rather hold on for the rest of your life to the lifelessness that is your reality today? Or would you rather take that leap of faith and TRUST, trust that this is part of the Master's master plan?

Disclaimer - Oh well, I didn't intend for my very first blog post to be all philosophical and preachy. I used to have a sense of humour, but I think I may have lost it in some drunken karaoke contest\fat man race\war against the corporate monster\even more drunken bet. Stay tuned, while I look for it folks!