as it must be

An offering of peace for the times when life brings pain.

The winter of 1990-91 was rough. People around me got hurt in accidents, died of cancer, committed suicide. I was living out in the country, alone much of the time. Things weren’t making sense.

This song came in a moment of perspective, and I recorded it for a reminder.

Note that it’s not called “as it should be,” or “as some personal intelligence has planned it out to be.” I’ve got nothing against songs with those titles, but for me the point is that what’s really here simply is what’s really here, and the alternatives are interesting but irrelevant.

These kinds of philosophical assertions aren’t very emotionally satisfying, though. So, the song ends with a purely emotional expression of support.

lyrics

    all is as it must be
    as it must be this moment for you

seeds sprout
when warm rains come
reach for the sun
winter before spring
wait it out

hopes rise
and hopes are dashed
this, too, shall pass
and passing, becomes you
clear your eyes

friends meet
and friends move on
none stays for long
all will meet again
love them now

    all of your joy, all of your pain
    wheels within wheels, again and again
    you never learn the same lesson twice

dry your eyes
you are loved
peace is in you

parts

tjw: 12-string guitar, vocals