In 1999 on vacation in British Columbia I was surprised that even in the remotest wilderness there were other people around. I was hoping to be lost in the silence of the great white north.----My solution? Share Your Solitude---A phrase was born and has since grown into this song....
Now I find my daughter Sage is similar to me, in that we enjoy our friends but we need alone time as well. For me, moments of solitude lead to getting things done; meditation, ukulele, Tai Chi and so on…. I love it. But I have found solitude really is a state of mind (especially with kids). One must find that quiet/alone time even surrounded by noise and mayhem.
Maybe it is a question of mindfulness; When I can be fully present during those few hours to myself in the day I don’t mind giving my time and attention to the family when everyone else comes home.
Truthfully, I am lucky I get time to myself as it is. My wife rarely does. And I feel it is something we all need and seek. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe everyone else is terrified of being alone and turn on the tv instead of being with themselves.
Regardless, Solitude is extinct in America. I am just as guilty of reaching out to the twitterverse and facebookland to fill my head with the voices of the minions swimming around in our small glass tank; commenting on the bubbles, there are so many distracting lights and sounds away from Solitude.
I think I like social media (to an extent) because I am involved in this society, I want to be a good citizen, I care about people and the world I live in, I want to be involved, I want to know you….
Which leads to the other part of my song: “You Don’t Have To Look Far To See Yourself”. No one is alone. We all enjoy ‘INTERBEING’. The plant cannot be separated from the soil, nor the sunlight, nor the water, and we cannot be separated from the plants and animals we eat.
If you think about it all of us have at least one thing in common, when we wake up in the morning and we open your eyes we each call ourselves “I”. -There is only one ‘I’.
To the best of my studies, in Buddhism this is the foundation of compassion: You peer out upon yourself. You are that homeless person. You are that Wall Street master of war. You are that mediocre ukulele player trying to sing in your ear.
From the moment of our birth we are taught incorrectly. We are taught mine and yours, us and them. When I believe it really is a matter of training your perceptions to see correctly, then those perceptions can inform our Mind of the true nature of reality. It is probably too late for me. How do you shatter the brainwashing of the Millenniums? Why did we evolve away from this non dualistic worldview?
I just try and remind myself at the gym- That funny looking dude, dressed real weird-- you are him. The cute, bored teller at the bank you are her. Then I look at my kids…
What better way to see yourself than through your kids and family. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. This is why I chose pics of my family to go with the song. At the end of the song Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Because You are Him, He is You. Nothing to compare”.(Here is the whole Lecture.) Only things that are separate can be compared. But nothing is separate.---I.E ‘You Don’t Have To Look Far To See Yourself’
Back to the song…this really is the best of my abilities- I have tweaked these 5 minutes as hard as I can…so hear it is-warts and all... I am playing all the instruments… I rewrote the song a couple of times around the ukulele (which I think lends itself well to reggae). The ukulele has opened up some harmony territory like the Gmaj7 to F#min to Fmin. This is adventurous stuff for me that I haven't explored before... But my favorite parts are the lead bass parts. That’s my Rickenbacker through a Boss ‘compressor/sustainer’ pedal then my Peavy with turned up preamp. That tone goes back to Jimi. I always said Jimi Hendrix proved that it was an ELECTRIC guitar. Basses feedback too!
Anyway. Click here to hear my heart.
Share Your Solitude
F#m B7 D E7
(You don’t have to look far to see yourself…)
Am...
Am
When you were driving on my freeway.
Em7 Am
There was a flash, -an instant you saw something.
Am
Did you glimpse yourself floating in the mirror?
Dm Am
Or did you -
Dm Am
Look out through
Am Em7 Am
All the other eyes on the Road?
Amaj7
Everyday there’s more people, and more cars…
F#m B7 D E7
(You don’t have to look far to see yourself…)
Am...
Am
Hey there you go again cloggin’ up my freeway…
Em7 Am
Did you catch yourself ‘fore ya acted like an Asshole?
Am
Can you hear yourself crying out for help?
Dm Am
As you drive,
Dm Am
keep your life
Am Em7 Am Am7 A#m7
In perspective of the stars…
Bm .....
Bm
You are right to ask, “Who am I to preach”?
E
When I’m as bad as the next,
my lungs keep taking your last breath.
Gmaj7
And still I quest.
F#m
For solitude.
Fm Cm
As do you….
Fm Cm
…There’s nothin’ you can do…
D7
Don’t come unglued…
A/Dbdim
…Just…
E7 A/Dbdim E7 A/Dbdim
Share your solitude… Share your Solitude….
E7 A/Dbdim
Don’t be rude
E7 A/Dbdim
You’re never alone.
E7 A/Dbdim
There’s always someone ‘round.
E7 A/Dbdim
Making scary sound.
E7 A/Dbdim
Just calm down!
E7 A/Dbdim E7 A/Dbdim
And Share your Solitude. Share your Solitude….
B7
Share your Solitude….
(Riff)
B7 Em C --C D7 G
B7 Em C- C D7 G
G E7
Am....
Am
Try and see yourself in every other face
Em7 Am
Try and hear yourself in every other voice
Am
Try and find the time to listen to the silence
Em7 Am
Hmmm…Peace is the goal.
Amaj7
Whereever you go someone else will be there too.
F#m B7 D A
(You don’t have to look far to see yourself…)
F#m B7 D A
(You don’t have to look far to see yourself…)
F#m B7 D E7
(You don’t have to look far to see yourself…)
Am7 D
And when you finally do-
Cmaj7 D
See yourself -like what you see…
Am7 D
And when you finally do-
Cmaj7 D
See yourself - like what you see…
Gmaj7 Cmaj7 Gmaj7 Cmaj7
the Wind, the Leaves, the Tree…
F G F G
Don’t get lost. It’s easy to get lost.
F Em Dm Dm C7 Bb Bb C7 F
Don’t let them. Stop you from, Being who you are.
E7sus4 Amaj7
Who you are. (Don’t Look Far)
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