Lyric of the Day: Smile

A couple of weeks ago, my first night back in town and working after being in Illinois for my mother's funeral and burial, I stopped at Shake It Records in Northside (one of coolest places in town) on my way home from work. I was emotionally spent, tired and decided to buy myself something I had wanted for a while: The Jayhawks' CD "Sound of Lies." (Brilliant, by the way.)

In the used bin in the Americana/Alt-country section in the back of the store, I happened upon the Jawhawks' "Smile." It's Gary Louris' nod, in a way, to Brian Wilson.

Despite its flower-child title, the first song, "Smile," caught my ear in its full, sweeping arrangement. I had only heard it on the live acoustic disc.

Louris and the parade of talented singers, musicians and songwriters who came through the band over its 15-20 year lifespan wrote, played and produced relatively straightforward songs lyrically that nonetheless say a lot and have space for personal interpretation in their simplicity.

Like many things in the past several months, the song "Smile" reminded me of my beloved mother.

It begins:

"Wake up
Put your shoes on
Take a breath of the northern air
And rub those eyes
Genuflect beneath the starry skies"

It goes on for a couple of more short verses and the chorus before coming to this image, which gives me great comfort:

"The stars on the horizon
Stretch as far as the eyes can see
They represent
The souls of those like you and me."

I almost can hear my mother speaking this chorus to me.

"And smile when you're down and out
(Find something inside you)
Smile when you're down and out
(Find something inside you)

(Chin up, chin up)
You don't really have a problem
(Chin up, chin up)
In your hour of despair"

I can definitely live without television; it makes us passive. Music, however, is one of life's greatest gifts; it inspires.