Message in the Music!

I spent a few days staying at a friend's house. I was watching over his little pack of dogs. I was the lead dog for a few days. It just so happens my friend is a musician too, and as he tells it, (just like me), "Music is my religion." He owns an amazing collection of long-playing phonograph records and little shiny compact discs. So I loaded up the music player and luxuriated in listening to albums I don't happen own myself. I played the records over and over. I lived and breathed these sounds, these songs, these albums, consumed them like high sacraments.

There seemed to be a some grand theme contained in the titles and the music of the records I listened to... I just grabbed these randomly without any forethought... but something tells me the music was speaking to me, sending me a powerful, healing message.

"There's a Riot Going On" (Sly and the Family Stone), "Stage Fright" (The Band), "Helplessness Blues" (the Fleet Foxes), "Oh Mercy" (Bob Dylan), "Smile" (Brian Wilson).

Yes, dare I say it, quirky & inspiring, masterpiece records all... plus the grand theme, the implied, unspoken message contained in the grooves and the titles...

Thru the riot, thru the fright, thru the helplessness, you must show a bit of mercy, smile... and... endure...