Ever hear a song but not really listen to it? The melody is great but the words just fade into the background. I had that revelation the other day, listening through my earbuds to a selection of my Likes on Spotify while on the treadmill at the gym. I had “heard” the song before, but this time the words really spoke to me.

It’s a tune by a group known as The Verve, a British indie pop scene band that emerged into popularity in the late ‘90s, and the song was “Bittersweet Symphony.” Over time, it has been “covered” by several bands, including a rather haunting instrumental version by a musician known as Mind Base.

Obviously, the artist is expressing a deeply personal philosophical opinion on how he sees the human experience. Life is bitter. Life is sweet, and I might add, usually not in equal proportions. If you’ve been around a while, maybe you have come to a similar conclusion. Or perhaps the pendulum has swung too far into bitter darkness, as with Macbeth, who laments in Act 5, Scene 5:

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Maybe you characterize your own situation more like a journey, with a series of ups and downs.  Or it’s an hour glass, with the sands of time rushing through the funnel until the last grain falls onto the pile at the bottom. However we see it, unless we have purpose, we may conclude with author Kurt Vonnegut, who, paraphrasing wise Solomon, wrote “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.”

Another lyric that I found poignant in The Verve’s song was when he confesses

Well, I’ve never prayed but tonight I’m on my knees, yeah
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now

I don’t think that Macbeth ever fell to his knees in prayer, but that can be for anyone the place to start, to find purpose, to achieve balance in the symphony of your life, to harmonize the beauty of each instrument played, to read the unique notes written for your personal composition. Most importantly, though, make sure you follow the right conductor. Actually there’s only One.