Rough Week

There's a line in the movie High Fidelity that goes, "Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable or was I miserable because I listened to pop music." That's really an interesting thought. I don't think that a person can blame music for the way they are feeling but I'm positive that it sure can enhance emotions that are already present.

I've been in a funk lately. A rut so to speak. This isn't something that is completely uncommon. I have battled random bouts with depression for most of my adult life. The difference here is that normally I can pinpoint the situation that may have sent me down such a winding road. That is not the case this time around. Life has been treating me very well lately. Work is the best that it's been in a long time, my finances are in check and I even have a romantic interest that has brought new inspiration to my life. Where could the problem be?

Could it possibly be the music I've been listening to lately that has put me in such a state of melancholy? I have recently rediscovered The Weakerthans. They are an amazing band and are definitely one of my favorites. Singer, John K Samson, has a way with words that is unmatched by any other song writer. He can take the same emotions that others will write about but he injects a freshness to them that keeps them original. The song Civil Twilight focuses on someone who had their heart broken but can't seem to avoid people and places that used to mean something to his relationship thus making it impossible for him to get over her. Instead of sticking with a standard explanation he makes the man a bus driver who's route takes him by the house of his former love every other hour. The imagery in other songs like Left & Leaving and Everything Must Go, once it's figured out, can even bring an onslaught of tears.

Maybe that's it. Maybe I need to be listening to some more positive music. I can't help myself though. I'm drawn in by the ambiguity of the lyrics and I want to learn more about them, however, the further I dig, the deeper I get into the pit of despair that Samson seems to be living in. Whatever the solution may be, I hope I find it soon. A week of this is plenty and I don't need anymore.