This is my song....

Without music...I don't know what I'd do.  So, that makes today's challenge both extremely easy and hard at the same time!  I do have a favorite song, however, I also have a close second.  I feel it absolutely necessary to write about both...as they are both songs that deserve the highest praise. 

1.  Carolina In My Mind-James Taylor
This song truly made me care about music in a way I never had before. James Taylor's musical influence has put such an effect on my life, and changed my heart forever.  To me, this song is so haunting, but so, so beautiful.  He's away and meets a beautful girl...he experiences wonderful adventure, but still longs for home.  Sometimes life can offer you the world, but all you really want is a place to let your guard down, a feeling that everything is going to be ok, a place you are undconditionally loved.....and for him (and I think for most of us)...it's home.  He sings.."Ain't no doubt in no one's mind that love's the finest thing around."  I think he means that love comes from a familiar place and as long as that place is in your heart..you should explore what life throws at you and know that the love will stay with you.  This song can make you feel alone and make you feel sad but it also brings a certain warmth and comfort, too.


2.  Useless Desires-Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin....the greatest musician of all time, in my opinion!  Like James Taylor, Patty is an amazing folk singer/songwriter.  I could go on and on about her, but I will try and keep this about the song!  Useless Desires....well, even though this song taught me that a single verse can break your heart...I still love it.  To me, it's not as much about moving on from a person in your life as it is about facing where you are in your life and coming to terms with who you are now.  This song really hits home with me in the way I interpret it.  I'm not who I used to be...I'm who I am now, whether or not I'm happy about it. I can't go back in time and fix the relationships I had taken for granted, or choose the career that would have made me the person I want to be.  I can't help the obstacles I face that are out of my control.  There comes a time where I just have to face that it may not happen for me.  I think she wrote the song about someone being at a place in their life where they feel their dreams slipping away.  My favorite line from the song is.."Everyday I take a bitter pill, it gets me on my way, for the little aches and pains, the ones I have from day to day....to help me think a little less, about the things I've missed, to help me not to wonder how I ended up like this.."  There's just certain parts of my own life that I relate to in this song.  Even though Patty sings about love and love lost...I still feel inspired by her.  She's the reason I picked up a guitar and came to adore folk music and she will forever be the one who has helped me find my true self.