When Your Mind's Made Up...

We'll let the video linked in the title do the talking:

The band: My Heart
The engineer in the booth: My Head

Watching this clip on Ebert and Roeper 6 or so years ago made me want to see a dramatic movie, nye a musical.  The prior I am seldom compelled to see other than whimsy and mood independent of clips or promotion.  The latter has never, ever been my cup of tea.  There was something about the timbre of the movie that came across, maybe a generational tone.  I just had a great feeling about it, and it delivered.  In my head, it's, in pop culture terms, the antidote to "The Office - Jim & Pam" Syndrome. Erring on the side of fidelity and empathy for the person you have committed to... would be the Once method, in that they stayed true to their preexisting loves no matter how strongly they desired a deeper closeness and intimacy to each other.  It wasn't so much a mutual decision, but one that was respected, and from that, each loving gesture took on greater significance.  The emotional connection meant more because of the honor that tempered the passion.

The Office - Jim & Pam Syndrome is best summarized in one phrase: "The heart wants what the heart wants."  Surrender to desire because you can't deny it.  No matter what you try it will compel you to its whims.  This is a poetic idea, but it's one that undermines the value of dedication and commitment and the role they play in expressing passion and love.  It takes an incredible love to weather storms and triumph over discord.  Can we trust something fickle with the defining experiences of our lives? Flight of fancy turns us all into opportunists, and nothing turns me off of romantic pursuit  like the feeling I am competing or in conflict with standards, with others, for the attention and affection of someone who has captivated me.

No one has made me think of it in a long time, but I think of my song Cozy, which I have long since forgotten  how to play.  It just so happens I don't have a document file of the lyrics either, so I guess I'll retype them from a hard copy so I can paste them into a document file now:

Cozy

I don't sleep as much as I should
opportunities abound I might if I could
it's as simple as having things on my mind
as drowsy as I am I can't unwind

I just want to put you at ease, but I'm warning you, you have to say please

Drifting and wandering, my thoughts float away
Comforting, welcoming, rising the next day
Drifting and wandering, thoughts just run away
Comforting, welcoming, the sun rises anyway


I could ramble on forever and a day
searching for something clever to say
a simpleton chasing ghosts in his mind
tired all the time and partially blind

I want you to feel at ease, but you've warned me that I have to say please

Drifting and wandering, my thoughts float away,
Comforting, welcoming, rising  the next day
Drifting and wandering, thoughts just run away,
Comforting, welcoming, the sun rises anyway


We all have our moments, trying by ourselves
when the weight is too heavy, a hand or two would help
you can't trust anyone, so you settle for what's left
and wonder why you're lonely, you did it to yourself

For one I just want to be at ease, this life's demands disturb our peace

Drifting and wandering, my thoughts float away,
Comforting, welcoming, the sun rises anyway,
Comforting, welcoming, you're welcome to stay,
Or call it a day,  what else is there to say?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I wrote that a least 10 years ago if not more, and haven't read it since the last time I tried to demo it, which has probably been 10 years.  After all that's happened, it was either an inspired lyric in terms of sentiment, or I haven't gotten any better at managing emotional attachment and attraction at all.  I'm hoping it was just inspired.  I did change the last line of the song.  I guess I will relearn the guitar part.  It was a very "afloat at see" type thing in drop d.