a song that brings back memories
There is a song that I remember, that I do not dare listen to.
Every beat, every word, every shift in pitch, I know by heart; every lick and filler and note, I remember it all.
I do not listen to the song or play it in my mind. If I am at a cafe and all of a sudden its first phrase begins playing, I duck out the moment I realise what song it is a part of. If I am in the car and the song plays on the radio, I turn it off immediately and drive the rest of the way in silence.
Last night we went to a friend’s house that is situated in the middle of the woods. A widespread, two-storied building that had moss growing up its roof and walls; old-fashioned, yet elegant. It was raining heavily when we arrived at the creaky iron gate and, entering my friend’s house with our dripping raincoats and squeaky shoes, it seemed as though we were bringing the storm with us. My friend lit a few large candles while we sat huddled on the wooden floor and slumped against the walls. He picked up a guitar in the corner and started strumming the strings aimlessly, seranading us with unnamed, wordless tunes. Until suddenly he came upon the song. The song which I had been avoiding all this while, the dreadful song. For some reason, however, this time I did not run away, but instead sat blankly where I was. Every word and every note, I knew them all. As the verse broke into the chorus, I felt like I was crying, but crying with no tears.
When he was finished, everybody clapped. I clapped too. “So nice!” someone crooned. Then my friend moved on to other songs and hours must have passed before the rain stopped and dawn scattered the dark shadows of night. We bid our friend farewell and made our way home through the pathless wood.
Originally published at https://www.tumblr.com.