My Life Sounds Like This...

Missed Class on Wednesday. Here's my final draft.

There are few things in my life that are easily explained or understood. These next five songs define me and what I believe. The first song is called “Gone Going”, by Jack Johnson. Every one in this world, at one point in their lives, have fallen victim to the idea that material items will either define them or bring happiness into their lives. I like this song because it applies well to a few of the principles and morals I hold close. “Gone Going” paints a picture of a man during that stage of his life. The song says that he sees the man in the mirror that looks familiar but that the things he wears can't forever cover up his soul. In trying to find himself he lost who he was.
About seven AM, with the alarm clock blaring, I lay in bed and imagine calling in sick for the day and just relaxing in doors with my fiancée, Shana. Not worrying about what needs to be done and the obligations that need to be taken care of. “Banana Pancakes”, by Jack Johnson, sings about exactly that. He says in one part, “The telephone singing ringing, it's too early don't pick it up. We don't need to we got everything we need right here and everything we need is enough. It’s just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms, do we really need to pay attention to the alarm.” Every once in a while, we all need to call it a day and take it easy. Forget about the world outside.
I'm all about spending weekends with my friends, sitting around a poker table or a TV, enjoying a cold one and forgetting our troubles. “Chicken Fried”, by Zac Brown, sings about my idea of a perfect day. One part of the song explains it better than I can. It says, “It's funny how it's the little things in life that mean the most. Not where you live, what you drive, or the price tag on your clothes. There's no dollar sign on peace of mind, this I've come to know.” Every time I hear this song it takes me back to the good times with my friends and the care free feeling we'd all get.
This next song is a favorite of mine by Jack Johnson. The song “Broken” sings about how he wasn’t going anywhere with his life, and how he was unhappy. Then he finds someone and has the world to look forward to. I was fifteen when Shana and I first started dating and I know that even seventeen is a young age to be serious but Shana and I have gone through a lot together, long before we were even an item. At age sixteen, my parents moved to Salt Lake around our one year anniversary and nearly broke us apart. But after a couple of dates with other people we realized that we were the best for each other, which made our relationship stronger. I moved out of my parents June of last year and found a place with Shana. We adopted a dog from the shelter and we are the happiest we’ve ever been. Like the songs says, “With everything ahead of us, we left everything behind but nothing that we needed at least not at this time and now the feeling that I'm feeling well it's feeling like my life is finally mine. With nothing to go back to we just continue to drive”
The next and last song that I feel defines me sings about getting lost somewhere in America with some friends. A few of my most cherished memories was of me and some friends taking off on a whim, not knowing what to expect and enjoying life as we would roll with whatever life and nature would throw at us. The song is called “Road Trippin” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
When I moved to Lehi with my parents it was definitely a new challenge trying to make friends. It was a small town where most of the high school kids already had their cliques with friends they knew since they were six. The only friends I found were a couple of girls I met in seminary; though, it was hard to even classify them as friends. I socialized a little in church but the only consistent thing I had in Lehi was Shana, whom happened to live three hundred some odd miles away. The song “I miss you”, by Incubus, always sent me down memory lane to all the good times we used to have together. Every time we could afford to make the trip, we would surprise each other and on a few occasions make each others school dances. Even though the times we saw each other were few and far between we managed to maintain a long distance relationship for nine months.
I have a lot of memories of me and my dad camping, hiking, and a lot of other outdoor activities. But one of the fondest memories I have was of us driving through the mountains and jamming out to Johnny Cache and Jim Croce. The one song that I can remember us singing along with was “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce. It reminded me of him so much that I had it as his ring tone; therefore, every time he would call me I would remember that day and how much fun we had together.
Another fond memory of my family is when we'd all be cleaning or lounging around the house, you could hear the faint whistle or hum of the "Always Coca Cola" song coming from someone. With seven sisters and five brothers, all squished beneath one roof, it wasn't hard for one of the twelve of us to hear it walking by. Like a contagious yawn, it would get stuck in their head and it didn't take long for it to catch on. Soon enough we were all singing it from the top of our lungs, competing to be the loudest.
Before Shana and I started dating, her, her brother Jay, and I would do a lot of partying, hanging out, and camping. One summer Jay and I were walking to meet up with some friends at a golf course that was along a mountain side. As we were walking we passed a hole barely big enough to fit two skinny bodies through. Jay crawled in with a light and found that as he crawled through it got larger. Large enough to fit chairs, candles, posters, and even a stereo to accommodate our new hang out spot. We’d go there just about every day. We only had one CD to listen to and that was because it was left in the stereo when we got it from his house. It was James Blunt and the song that we’d play over and over again was “Wiseman”. We’d blast it and it’d echo through the long, cold cave. When it comes on the radio I get the image of me, Shana, and Jay playing cards and drinking energy drinks.
Through Shana and Jay I met Jeff, who is now my closest friend. Before Shana and I could drive we hired Jeff as our own personal chauffeur. We were all hanging out when the song “Next Contestant” by Nickelback came on. They started laughing and dedicated the song to me. The beginning of the song says, “I judge by what she's wearing just how many heads I'm tearing off of assholes coming on to her.” Whenever we go out I think it’s funny but also irritating to watch some of the “discrete” stares and double takes she gets. I guess I can understand, a little, why they dedicated it to me.
As kids my brother and I rarely got along. It wasn’t until I was thirteen and he was fifteen that we actually did anything together. We discovered some things that we had in common, like drinking and sneaking out at night. My brother made a room out of a shed with a TV, surround-sound system, couches, and a lot more. We would sneak beer and rum in there and listen to Pink Floyd while we hung out and got drunk. The song that I remember most was “Goodbye Blue Skies”. For some reason when I heard it I got chills. I would get a vivid picture of fearful people in hiding during a horrible war in what once could have been a nice looking neighborhood.
One of the few songs I can play on the guitar is “Anyone Else but You” by the Moldy Peaches. This song reminds me of when Shana and I first moved in together. We only had a couple of things in our room like a pad as our bed, our clothes, some hangars and two guitars. With nothing to do and feeling slightly too uncomfortable around our roommates we’d mess around with the guitars trying to learn the song. It didn't take long for us to learn it and start playing it together. It wasn't until after the first month that we felt comfortable enough to be around them. So now whenever I pick up the guitar it reminds me of that first awkward month.
The last and most important song to me is by Don McLean and is called “Starry Starry Night”. My mom got pregnant with my older brother Kit which was unfortunately against her will. She had four before him and three after, including me. My mom loved and showed affection to all of her kids except for Kit. She would take her anger out on him both physically and, as he got older, mentally. With the jealousy he had over us, we had a hard time getting along, but when we did he was a lot of fun. One of the best memories I have of him was when he taught me a song on the piano. With the way he was treated, along with much more, he was pushed to the edge when his last chance at happiness rejected his proposal. That night we all awoke to the sound of a rifle shot. About five days after his death I played that song he taught me on the piano at his funeral. That song along with “Starry Starry Night”, remind me of that day he mentored me on the piano and that awful last night.