Philosophers say that time is about motion and change, but life is about struggle. We struggle to survive, to grow, to find our place in a world that has lost its sense of being.
I’ve always loved this melancholy song by Tanita Tikaram. Her husky voice mixed with the haunting notes of an oboe capture perfectly the anxieties of today’s youth as they navigate a culture that no longer provides them with a sense of purpose and meaning.
Background
The first line of the song, “All God’s children need traveling shoes”, is the title of a book by writer/poet Maya Angelou.
Speaking about the somewhat obscure and enigmatic lyrics, Tikaram has offered different views on their meaning, but said it’s mostly about the particular relationship with the world one feels when entering adulthood. “The song is really about not understanding – when you’re 18, you’ve got a very particular emotional relationship with the world, you feel very isolated, and everybody else is so distant and cold. And I think I was singing about not feeling anything or not being moved by things around. I think this is a strong feeling when you’re just after adolescence.”
Malcolm Messiter plays the oboe on the song,
Wikipedia
Twist In My Sobriety
All God's children need traveling shoes Drive your problems from here All good people read good books Now your conscience is clear I hear you talk girl Now your conscience is clear In the morning I wipe my brow Wipe the miles away I like to think I can be so willed And never do what you say I'll never hear you And never do what you say Look my eyes are just holograms Look your love has drawn red from my hands From my hands you know you'll never be More than twist in my sobriety More than twist in my sobriety More than twist in my sobriety We just poked a little empty pie For the fun people had at night Late at night don't need hostility Timid smile and pause to free I don't care about their different thoughts Different thoughts are good for me Up in arms and chaste and whole All God's children took their toll Look my eyes are just holograms Look your love has drawn red from my hands From my hands you know you'll never be More than twist in my sobriety More than twist in my sobriety More than twist in my sobriety Cup of tea, take time to think, yea Time to risk a life, a life, a life Sweet and handsome Soft and porky You pig out 'til you've seen the light Pig out 'til you've seen the light Half the people read the papers Read them good and well Pretty people, nervous people People have got to sell News you have to sell Look my eyes are just holograms Look your love has drawn red from my hands From my hands you know you'll never be More than twist in my sobriety More than twist in my sobriety Look my eyes are just holograms Look your love has drawn red from my hands From my hands you know you'll never be More than twist in my sobriety More than twist in my sobriety More than twist in my sobriety
