Ooh Child

One morning a few weeks ago as I was cleaning to XM radio via Directv, the song "Ooh Child" came on. It was a version I hadn't heard before, and I was completely captivated. I immediately went to see who was singing it (Beth Orton, a live version is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQvHc2M-2g0) and proceeded to dowload it from itunes that afternoon. I listen to it quite often and most of the time, it fits me perfectly. It's a melancholy song, yet the lyrics are hopeful. It captures the hope that I want to feel, even on days I don't, and acknowledges my deep sadness at the same time. Sometimes I can't listen to the lyrics, and try only to feel the music, times when I feel like things won't get easier or brighter, and I decide it's a bunch of bullshit. But I can't bear to ignore the lyrics either, because I can't stand the thought of things not getting easier. I guess part of me is hoping that the song's optimism will rub off on me if I listen to it enough, much in the way people use positive affirmations. And maybe at some point I'll progress to the Five Stairsteps or the Hall and Oates versions of the song. But not yet, definitely not yet.