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about

During the last year or so, we lost 3 friends through untimely deaths. Each, very different, but no less shocking. These losses percolated into a place where we were contemplating life – where we are at now – and what that means. More losses, for sure, but also a heightened awareness of life itself, the simple experience of being alive, being part of a larger system, and the strange comfort of knowing we are all transient. That everything is transitory.

In the lyrics, I take each of those losses as a jumping off point to experience the event first hand, to empathise, but also to generalise, emphasising the oneness of us all. The song finishes with a Buddhist chant, to bring comfort to all – the living and the dying.

The music evolved from a simple sequence I was playing with on my baritone guitar. Brian and David took it and ran with it, turning it into a poignant, lush piece. [JK]

lyrics

This Life

The night recedes and, with our dreams, forgotten memories and fears
evaporate like morning mist upon a lake.
The rising sun sends out her rays across the waking world,
inviting us to greet the day, opening our tender hearts like flowers ….
like flowers …

Today my tears came tumbling down
my breaking heart, for you are gone
It’s all too much, it’s all too raw right now
They might say you threw it away
you lived your life in vain
but you fought to keep the show on the road
the whole shebang, the circus ride
you couldn’t go around again …. and again

The day is young, the air is sweet
This life force pulls me to my feet
I feel connected to the vastness of the biosphere
I am a bird, I am a bee
the earth I walk upon is me
and I’m vibrating with the music of the universe

I’m in the air … the trees … the earth

I’m feeling so plugged in, connected to the core
a sweet belonging and a deep desire for more
I’m digging deeper still, to find the root of all
that we ever were or will be in a realm of no recall

I see your face in the morning light
Your spirit left us under cover of the night
There was no way that I could know I’d never get to say
“I love you” one more time, be with you just one more day
The fabric of our life is torn away …. away

Are we apart, or are we a part
of something merging, re-emerging into light?
Do our spirits long to be free?
Is all we touch and all that we see
ephemeral, impermanent?
I wonder how insignificant are we… ?

… there is no “we”
… there is no “me” …

May those who are dying gain strength from our love …
May those who are living gain strength from our love …

credits

from Afterword, released January 9, 2023
Lyrics: Janette Kidd
Music: original idea by Janette Kidd, developed by Janette Kidd, David Reid and Brian Kidd
Janette Kidd: Bass Guitars; Lead and backing vocals; Baritone Guitar
David Reid: Guitars; synthesizers
Brian Kidd: Guitars; Guitar synthesizers; percussion; Drumbox programming; Atmospherics
Mixed by Brian Kidd

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about

Alternative Communication Perth, UK

Alternative Communication is based in Perthshire,
Scotland.
We began in 1980 at University as friends with
common musical interests. We composed our
own music, self-releasing 3 albums until the group disbanded in 1985.
David A. Reid (solo artist) and Brian and Janette Kidd (Not for Pussies) continued to
compose and record until, in 2019, they reconvened.
... more

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