Comfort
Finding comfort these days is tough. There’s a sense that the ability to even find ways to comfort yourself is self indulgent, a privilege many currently suffering the loss of their loved ones, or not knowing their fate as they are being held hostage or fighting behind enemy lines, can’t afford to have. I feel many of us resort to comforting ourselves in short bursts, balancing that comfort with diving into news sites and reports, or debating online defending the actions of a government we despise.
For years I couldn’t find comfort in music. Trying to do so would only remind me of my in ability to play or perform music myself, so my main method of comforting myself in face of hardship was suddenly inaccessible. I could still write songs, at least in the beginning, and I’d mostly write depressing, woe-is-me lyrics that would comfort me in a specific kind of way, as if I was echoing back to myself concepts and words I longed to hear.
Still, once in a while I’d come across a song that would hit just the write spot. The human experience differs from one person to the other, but emotions are fairly similar. That’s the main reason I always regarded empathy as the key to a better world and a better understanding of each other, barring the ability to share experiences and perspectives as we all go through our own, specific journey.
The songs I decided to translate and share today each comforted me in their own unique way. I hope they’ll do the same to you.
As always, two translations and an original song.
1. Heaven Sent – A translation of Daniela Spector’s “All the really beautiful things”. It’s a fairly short but poignant text about having patience, about letting things happen and come to you in their own pace, not rushing life. Counter-intuitively, the shorter the song – the harder it is to translate, as you have less time and words to try and hit the essence of the original words. I hope I’ve done it justice.
Hebrew Version (Cover) – English Version (Translation) – Side-by-Side Translation Player
2. Fantasy Baseball At The End Of The World. – A song by John K. Samson I’m not even sure how I came across, but the frustration felt at narcissistic politicians that destroy anything good for their own selfish needs felt oh-so-familiar. As is the frustration in feeling bad to want someone’s – anyone’s – harm, as justified as it may be, as it counters your own moral compass.
Hebrew Version (Translation) – English Version (Cover) – Side-by-Side Translation Player
3. The Promise – Written about an imagined unrequited love, it was the first love song I wrote in years, and there’s something simple about it that makes me smile. I remember not long after writing it, playing it to myself on the piano and being delightfully surprised I wrote a second verse, as I was sure I’ve yet to do so. It’s funny, the way our past selves can somehow comfort our present selves, unexpectedly.
Thanks for reading and listening,
Yair (Screwup)