Vincent

 

 

"Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land."

It took until I had a child of my own with whom I wanted to share one of my favorite songs, for me to understand the real meaning of that song. It also took me until last week to find out its real name. Up until then I thought it was called Starry Starry Night but upon searching for it I found out that its real name was Vincent, after Vincent Van Gogh.

I first heard this song during my teenage years in Lebanon when I was a fan of the oldies channel. They would play it time and again and I found its lyrics and tune quite appealing. It is a sad song, but never really made me sad. It made me think, and stop and listen. It captured me and kept on playing in my head for years after that. Its memory would come and go but never completely leave me.

One day, I looked at our blue wall that was transformed into an ocean during the summer and thought that it was time to dress it up in a more season appropriate attire. Turning it into a night scene came to mind, and moon and stars started dancing in my mind. And then the song came racing back. It was time to share it with JR, and have it as background music while we worked on our craft.

How surprised I was to find out that the song was not just a "song." It had a story, a history. It was a tribute. It stood to honor the life of a person and not merely to sing about love and life. It was a song about a life, and a death. I was left stunned and now even more fascinated by the song. I was also left feeling glad I was able to share something so precious with my precious and leave her with something to appreciate beyond the simple lyrics of everyday songs.