Fire and forgetful

I caught up with my dad and a friend of ours over bourbon and cigars last night. We had a great conversation, covering favorite whiskeys, new adventures and life missions.

After a while, our talk turned to the power of songs. Isn’t it amazing how a song can just punch you in the gut? And then another song can remind you of all that you have? I remember hearing a songwriter perform live a while back and for two straight months I woke up thinking about lyrics to two of his songs. They just hit me hard. Music is a force to be reckoned with.

As we talked, I was reminded of what I believe to be the best three lines from any song ever, from The Rake by Townes van Zandt:

But every cruel day had it’s nightfall
I’d welcome the stars with wine and guitars
Full of fire and forgetful

I’m not a van Zandt fan in general but he nailed it here. I read those lyrics one time in Rolling Stone magazine while I was waiting to get a haircut about 10 years ago. And it has stuck with me since.

Songs have the ability to shape our day, to change our day, to build us up or to tear us down. Let’s never take the power of music for granted.