Waiting For This Moment

I've written before about the songs that inspire me, and the music that touches my soul. I've written about how those songs and that music changed for me as we neared the birth of my son. Now, eight days after his birth, I find myself hearing those songs and that music for the very first time again.

I now own an audio copy of the U2 show I saw on 10/25/05, which is quite possibly the best I've ever seen, and as I relive that night and hear that music, I can't help but get emotional. That night was so special for me because the meanings of the songs changed, the vibe of the night was in harmony with my head and I felt something reach into my soul and grab hold.

As I hear those songs again and remember being there in person, I find lyrics in every song that fit even better now than they did before. There was a certain "specialness" to the night because Bono was inspired by the passing of Rosa Parks, or maybe it was just me and my own changing perspective as I looked toward today. I think it's probably a bit of both.

I find myself hearing Bono sing the lyrics to "Blackbird" at the end of "Beautiful Day" and think of 11/15/05 at 11:44pm. I hear them now as a prayer on the night of my son's birth. I find it to be absolutely perfect for the moment:

...in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life, you have just been waiting
for this moment to arise
Blackbird fly...

And now, when I hear "Miracle Drug" as Bono dedicates it to doctors and nurses. I hear this song as if I'm singing it to my son just after he's been born. Being that we relied on doctors and nurses to keep Kelly and Tyler healthy and safe, especially on the night we drove to Emergency, I find a certain perfection in these lyrics now:

I wanna trip inside your head
Spend the day there
To hear the things you haven't said
And see what you might see

I wanna hear you when you call
Do you feel anything at all?
I wanna see your thoughts take shape and walk right out

Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head


At the end of "One" Bono sang "MLK" to Rosa Parks. As I remember the night my son was born, during lightning and rain, and high winds, I can't help but hear this song as if it was written for his first night here:

Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams be realized
If the thunder cloud passes rain
So let it rain
Rain on here
Oh, oh, oh
So let it be

These are some that come to mind now, but there is so much more and I won't bore you with it. But, the main themes seem to be about freedom and change and finding something new. It so easy to take life for granted and listening to U2, especially this show again, helps me slow down for a moment, and see an almost poetic beauty in it.

Thanks for your interest in my blog, espcially when I open myself up like this and ramble on, because the truth is, all my life I have been waiting for this moment, and now when I look at the world, I see a world full of color.