Last night I spent awhile listening to some songs I like, thinking about maybe covering one. I listened to A Twist in My Sobriety by Tanita Tikaram, a thoroughly original song. This is Dedicated to the One I Love, sung by the Shirelles, which speaks of distance and devotion. Canned Heat’s On the Road Again, I suppose with wishful though forward thinking. I ended with Charlotte Day Wilson singing Work. I love this song, with its early rhythm and blues vibe, lyrically plain yet powerful. She says what she has to say, and her delivery is direct and without ornamentation. There is a link on YouTube where you can listen to a loop of it for an hour. I listened to it several times, lost in its light, spiritual groove.
This humble yet self-assured song touches me. As I listen, I feel our slow motion world speeding up again, and the mix of relief and regret it produces. The song is also gently propelling, and I see myself walking down the steps to the street, mingling with a few passersby that slowly multiply. The clouds overhead move past the sun and I can feel the warmth of its rays upon my shoulders. Those who I knew that did not make it through the pandemic are not forgotten. But neither is life with all its possibilities.
Day opens with the lyric ‘it’s gonna take a bit of work’. And yes, it is. It’s going to take courage and patience and a shedding of pandemic skins. We must be prudent but we have to live. Work is a song of inherent fortitude and one can apply her lyrics to the tasks, challenges and responsibilities we are all facing. It’s a wonderful thing how a song, in all its simplicity, can inspire one to step out of a self-imposed cocoon, and quietly spread new formed wings.
It's gonna take a bit of work
Oh-oh, work
Now that you're here
Whoa-oh, work
'Cause people come and go
But I think you should know
That I, I think this will work
It's gonna take a little time
But with you by my side
I won't let go
Til I've got what's mine
'Cause people come and go
But you should know
That I, that I, I'm taking it slow
