Spencer's Song

John MacEnulty on his Native American flute, Sara McLachlin's voice accompanied by her piano, James Galway's golden flute, Pavarotti's dulcet tenor, Louis Armstrong's "It's a wonderful world," Three Irish tenors, John Denver, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, Roy Clark, and Iris DeMent's "My Life," where she sings,

But I gave joy to my mother.
And I made my lover smile.
And I can give comfort to my friends when they're hurting.
And I can make it seem better,
I can make it seem better,
I can make it seem better for a while.

All of these and a hundred more can turn me inside out. I listen to Spencer's song, "He's everything you want. He's everything you need..." and I am transported to a different time and space in an instant.

I seldom listen to music I am very familiar with if it has words unless I am reaching for a particular feeling, because that's what lyrics and tunes do to me. They carry me away as effectively as any time machine could ever hope to. No golden oldies for me, unless I want my heart ripped open and exposed to the light of memories almost too sweet to bear.

And sometimes I do. Sometimes I put on the CDs, or tune in the radio to a song that wrings the tears from my soul. It can be cathartic.

Or it can be so painful it is foolish to allow.

I've read that fire was a gift from the gods, but I think music is more powerful than even that. I don't think we have even begun to explore it's properties, but someday the right music may heal us, or alleviate our pain, or drive us to distraction. I'm sure of it, because some of it already does this to me.