Melodies of Life (Everybody Has a Song)

Not long ago a friend of mine called me and told me how much he loved my family. It seems Rob ran into the Houston conglomerate of our band of crazies on my niece’s 17th birthday. The patrons of good Company Taqueria were being treated to a Nelson version of the Beatles’ I Saw Her Standing There, with slightly altered words; after all, “She Was Just 17…”

My sister Theresa turns memories into lyrics for almost every occasion. While slightly embarrassing to the recipient, and some of the performers if the venue is public, when you wake up on your birthday you smile with anticipation of Tessie’s serenade. When I was four or five, she recorded me singing Rag Time Cowboy. Years later, I was turned into that cowboy through the magic of her loving devotion and thoughtful creativity.

Yesterday, I found a note I’d written years ago that spoke of Theresa’s tributes. I can’t be sure when it was written, as there was no date, but there is little doubt it was during a tough stretch. The simple clue was the line that mentioned looking in the mirror. Reflection isn’t always easy.

My song has a few rough chords in it. I simply hope that when the last verse is heard a happy note rings in the air.

The unfinished piece definitely crosses a few genres when it plays in my head. The heartache and breakdown of a country song; The hard charging mess of a heavy metal calamity, the upbeat rhythm of Bill Withers’ Lovely Day, the power of a Led Zeppelin masterpiece and the peace of love songs. Though not finished, all in all, not a bad tune. When the stage is cleared, all I can hope is that the resounding ring in the listener’s ear is that of the memories we made for those still around to hear the song.

We can affect the melody, but we cannot control the tempo of the music. We can write the words and even then, as someone sang, the words still might not come out right. We can walk out on stage with the arrangement just so, but in the end it’s just a jam session. One thing is for certain, we can dance to whatever beat is playing. Enjoy the music and dance your ass off.

Will