Music and the Work

[whitecoast]

Earliest songs I remember:

Zip a dee doo dah, from "Song of the South"

Old Man River from "Showboat".

I partly recall snatches of the films as well.

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-A-Dee-A

My oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine heading my way
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-A-Dee-A

Mister bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth
It's actual
Everything is satisfactual

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-A-Dee-A
Wonderful feeling
Wonderful day

I used to harass my mother to sing Old Man River at bedtime.

Interesting to recall that the two most impressive songs I remember from my early childhood were sung by black men and depicted the plight of black people in the racial US, more or less. One was irrepressibly cheerful and the other a soul wrenching lament.

My mom and I sung this a lot when I was a kid. Thanks for bringing this to mind again. :)
There's this too:

https://youtu.be/rc2jsjnt-HY

I listen to a lot of music... I have about 1500 songs on my portable music player. I notice that the more I work on myself and clear and cleanse trauma and whatnot, my tastes change. A lot of music that used to be a staple is almost unlistenable to me.

Indie Rock is one of my favorite genres, and a lot of the music is ostensibly happy and upbeat. But when you listen to the lyrics, they're not unambiguously positive. A lot of it is in fact negative. I wonder if this reflects the unease of the collective unconscious, which values personal happiness above all things, but ends in misery and destruction of the things that make us human. Or if it just shows veneer and varnish in the culture covers some pretty severe rot.

Lyrics are easy to analyze, but what about the sounds of music itself? There are many elements in music that produce all the variety. One of which is the type of music scales used... major or minor... C, G, A, etc. Major scales (especially C) seem to produce really bold and joyeous music, while minor scales seem (at least to me) to be much more subdued and sad.

There is also the tempo of the music (beats per minute), as well as the number of beats per measure (waltz music is 3/4, "regular" pop music is 4/4, etc.). Love songs often use a speed that puts the brain into an alpha state. Dancing music usually sends people to beta to keep them up, since people usually listen to it when drinking alcohol (a depressant) in dark rooms late at night.

There's also the elements of rhythm, accent and syncopation. Wiki sez rhythm is a regular succession of strong and weak elements in music). Syncopation is the interruption or shifting of these rhythms during a song. Syncopation keeps music interesting, since one regular rhythm going forever would be boring. It also has a dark side though. One type of syncopation, called missed beat syncopation:

[quote author=wikipedia]Missed beat syncopation causes a physical effect in the body of the listener as his/her body moves to supply the missing beat. Complex syncopation has been used to overload the brain to induce abreaction and as a prelude to brain washing[/quote]
(source: _https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncopation#Types_of_syncopation)

Predictably, modern music uses a lot of syncopation. It was initially popularized by jazz, which came from African folk rhythms (although syncopation has been used a lot before in a number of western classical contexts).

Accents are where the human ear places "emphasis" on certain notes. If you listen to a metronome, for example, you subconsciously start to group the sounds (1 beat repeated) into groups of 2 or 4. Sometimes people even subconsciously add an accent to the silence between the notes (1-and-2-and-3-and-4) etc. A clever musician can keep a rhythm going without syncopation, but at the same time still switch the accents around.

More on rhythm, accent, and syncopation here:

https://youtu.be/zTQ1A7YT1pQ

I love music.
For those of you who can detect the level of rhythm, shifts in accent, and syncopation types and levels, how do you find it gels with your subconscious?

 

[Seppo Ilmarinen]

Lyrics are easy to analyze, but what about the sounds of music itself? There are many elements in music that produce all the variety. One of which is the type of music scales used... major or minor... C, G, A, etc. Major scales (especially C) seem to produce really bold and joyeous music, while minor scales seem (at least to me) to be much more subdued and sad.[/size]

I agree. There's some research done which may explain why minor key is associated with sadness, and this perhaps suggest that it's not just culturally conditioned. According to some studies, the minor 3rd interval, -which is associated with sadness in music-, has been observed being more present in sad speech:

"In the study, Meagan Curtis of Tufts University's Music Cognition Lab recorded undergraduate actors reading two-syllable lines—like "let's go" and "come here"—with different emotional intonations: anger, happiness, pleasantness and sadness (listen to the recordings here). She then used a computer program to analyze the recorded speech and determine how the pitch changed between syllables. Since the minor third is defined as a specific measurable distance between pitches (a ratio of frequencies), Curtis was able to identify when the actors' speech relied on the minor third. What she found is that the actors consistently used the minor third to express sadness."

It would make sense that there's some aspects of music that are highly imprinted in our brains, that ties together with development of speech for example. I don't think that we associate only through cultural condition the major key with happiness and minor key with sadness. Though i would say that the key itself is not that important (e.g is C major happier than B major?), because most of us can't recognize the keys from each other, unless we have perfect pitch. Usually songs are composed to certain keys to optimize the range and playability of the instruments. Though we could recognize unconsciously if the song is in different key and it could affect slightly different way.

Maybe there's something universal in music that connects us all together. Here's interesting short clip where Bobby McFerrin demonstrates this point i think:

https://youtu.be/ne6tB2KiZuk

Like mentioned, music is build on different elements: rhythm, pitch (melody and harmony) and timbre (tone color). Different music genres and styles are defined by these elements. Each style and individual song has certain kind of rhythmic, melodic, harmonic and timbric language, that together create it's unique sound. For example in jazz music syncopated rhythms, extended and altered chords, swing-feel, improvisation, instruments like saxophone, piano and double-bass are often present.

Most music that we hear is tonal, which means it's based on hierarchical system where different chords and tones have certain function and different "value", that will determine and limit their usage into certain situations. For instance tonic degree is sort of "magnet" where other chord degrees, especially dominant degree, like to resolve. When you sing 'Over the rainbow' second verse ending 'really do come true', the word 'true' ends on the tonic. You might notice how your ear guides the word 'true' to end on the tonic note, feeling like the melody resolves nicely. Music can be described as movement in time between tension and release. This idea is encapsulated with this resolvement from dominant degree into tonic degree.

We recognize these musical hierachies and expect and anticipate music based on these rules. Our culture affects also to these expectations; if you're raised in Indian village, you're probably more familiar with ragas and sitar music than average westerner, being able to recognize it's musical elements. Simply said: our brains seek different patterns in music that make sense. What happens if there's no pattern to found?

Harmony and melody are sort of different sides of the same coin. Harmony is vertical and melody is horisontal event. Single tones are like letters that create words and sentences when combined together. Vibration of the pitch determines name of tone. In modern classical music the tonal system was abandoned last century, which led into dominating era of atonal music. Atonality is attempt to break these tonal rules, by using different techiques which will distort the tonal centre of music. Maybe it originated from a mind of psychopath or someone with dominant thinking center, because at least for me there's no emotional elements there. In atonal music there's only tension without release from harmonic perspective.

So for me atonality is like distorting the melody and harmony in a way that we can't really recognize any meaning in them anymore:

Philip Ball, author of The Music Instinct, has drawn on the latest scientific findings from neuroscientists to show structure and patterns in music are a fundamental part of musical enjoyment.

He said: "Many people still seem to find modern classical music challenging. If that is the case, then they can relax as it is challenging for a good reason and it is not because they are in some way too musically stupid to appreciate it. "The brain is a pattern seeking organ, so it looks for patterns in music to make sense of what we hear. The music of Bach, for example, embodies a lot of the pattern forming process.

"Some of the things that were done by those composers such as Schoenberg undermined this cognitive aid for making music easier to understand and follow. Schoenberg's music became fragmented which makes it harder for the brain to find structure.

So perhaps distortion of these elements is example of less objective music in some way, from purely musical standpoint. Examples can be also found in pop music, where it's common practise to distort the timbre of natural voice by heavy autotuning and processing. Same editing often destroys the rhytmic and dynamic nuances of instruments, where everything becomes controlled, precised and numb. Then there's these unimaginative ways to create songs, -in the spirit of Orwell's 1984 'versificator' device- where same few chord structures and other song writing cliches are used over and over again. Not very creative or original.

From latest session:

A: The 70's were the time of development of such concepts and technologies. The 80's were the period when implementation became more widespread. At present 90 percent of broadcast music has corrupting elements.

C's comment reminded me about this article, where we can see graphs of how dramatically the lyrical content have changed during the last 50 years, and especially during the last decades. Quite telling!

I used to harass my mother to sing Old Man River at bedtime.

Interesting to recall that the two most impressive songs I remember from my early childhood were sung by black men and depicted the plight of black people in the racial US, more or less. One was irrepressibly cheerful and the other a soul wrenching lament.

Earliest song i remember is this traditional Finnish folk song, which my mom sung when i was young. It's called 'cii-, cii-, cigar roll', where cigar roll means baby in a swaddle

https://youtu.be/wpMJyYxOF54

edit: added link and corrected translation!

 

[BHelmet]

EDIT: Lyrics
I went to see a shaman
He said you'll be alright
Just keep doin' what you love
Every single night

I won't be the one you like
I won't be the boy next door
I won't be the chosen one
That's not what I'm here for
I don't like the way you are
I despise what you hold dear
Don't you try to make me change
I'll haunt you for a thousand years

Doctor
Don't you talk that way
Doctor
Don't you mess my day
Doctor
Stay away from me
Sick is what I'd rather be

I dunno, man, seems pretty STS to me. Although, I will grant that the vocal is kind of Muppet sounding.

 

[BHelmet]

Indie Rock is one of my favorite genres, and a lot of the music is ostensibly happy and upbeat. But when you listen to the lyrics, they're not unambiguously positive. A lot of it is in fact negative. I wonder if this reflects the unease of the collective unconscious, which values personal happiness above all things, but ends in misery and destruction of the things that make us human. Or if it just shows veneer and varnish in the culture covers some pretty severe rot.

Nice work.

Lyrics are easy to analyze, but what about the sounds of music itself? There are many elements in music that produce all the variety. One of which is the type of music scales used... major or minor... C, G, A, etc. Major scales (especially C) seem to produce really bold and joyeous music, while minor scales seem (at least to me) to be much more subdued and sad.

For me, lyrical analysis is kind of tricky, but great points about the objective effects of certain keys and major vs minor etc. It is kind of how the manipulation can be controlled by those in the know.

There is also the tempo of the music (beats per minute), as well as the number of beats per measure (waltz music is 3/4, "regular" pop music is 4/4, etc.). Love songs often use a speed that puts the brain into an alpha state. Dancing music usually sends people to beta to keep them up, since people usually listen to it when drinking alcohol (a depressant) in dark rooms late at night.

Yes, another super great point - so many things we think we like are just mechanical reactions to these factors - whether we like to admit it or not. We are all 'suckers' for certain rhythms, meters and triads and chord schemes. (rhythm - there is an interesting word/spelling)

'You are my Sunshine' makes me feel sad as hell. Yes, so poignant; but also more of that dysfunctional 'My happiness is dependent on you"/"my well-being depends on you"/"I am not responsible: YOU are responsible" subtle control thingie. Forgive me for being a Debbie Downer.

 

[BHelmet]

Lyrics are easy to analyze, but what about the sounds of music itself? There are many elements in music that produce all the variety. One of which is the type of music scales used... major or minor... C, G, A, etc. Major scales (especially C) seem to produce really bold and joyeous music, while minor scales seem (at least to me) to be much more subdued and sad.[/size]

I agree. There's some research done which may explain why minor key is associated with sadness, and this perhaps suggest that it's not just culturally conditioned. According to some studies, the minor 3rd interval, -which is associated with sadness in music-, has been observed being more present in sad speech:

Nice. I would add that certain minors are also tense and edgy.

As for syncopation and people being physically moved by music to actually move their bodies I have a comment, or observation: I don't usually go out anymore to hear live music. However, my wife and I went out for a date the other night to a local micro-brew place that has live music. The music was very eclectic - some rock, some bluesy stuff and a heavy dose of Irish/Celtic - I don't know what you call it. Anyway, I am one of those people that just has to tap his toes, minimally and bounce around. The Celtic stuff made me wish I had on a kilt to do one of those Scottish highland fling things - very infectious. But I looked around, and there were just so many (the vast majority) people who seemed to be disconnected from the movement of their bodies. They were like sticks. Were they self-conscious? Were they just dead to their bodies? Inhibited? Too cool for school? I don't know. But as I reflect from my days playing live music, maybe things have not changed all that much. People need familiarity to let go. Then again - in the USA, there is no real dance culture to draw upon except perhaps in Hawaii (hula) and CW line dancing. (I am probably leaving something out like native american dance)

But, in the 60's dancing went from more structured to every man (and woman) for him or herself. Probably just rambling. I will stop now.

 

[whitecoast]

I used to harass my mother to sing Old Man River at bedtime.

Interesting to recall that the two most impressive songs I remember from my early childhood were sung by black men and depicted the plight of black people in the racial US, more or less. One was irrepressibly cheerful and the other a soul wrenching lament.

Just popping back to share Old Man River for context.

https://youtu.be/eh9WayN7R-s

Lyrics from the Original Libretto

Dare's an ol' man cal'd de Mississipi
Dat's de ol' man dat I'd lek to be
Whot does he care
iv de world gets trauble
Whot does he care iv de land lev's free.

Ol' man river,
Dat ol' man river
He mus'know sumpin'
But don't say nuthin',
He jes'keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin' along.

He don' plant taters,
He don't plant cotton,
An' dem dat plants'em
is soon forgotten,
But ol'man river,
He jes keeps rollin'along.

You an'me, we sweat an' strain,
Body all achin' an' racket wid pain,
Tote dat barge!
Lif' dat bale!
You gits a little drunk
An' you lands in jail.

Ah gits weary
An' sick of tryin'
Ah'm tired of livin'
An' skeered of dyin',
But ol' man river,
He jes'keeps rolling' along.

[Colored folks work on de Mississippi,
Colored folks work while de white folks play,
Pullin' dose boats from de dawn to sunset,
Gittin' no rest till de judgement day.

Don't look up
An' don't look down,
You don' dast make
De white boss frown.
Bend your knees
An'bow your head,
An' pull date rope
Until you' dead.)

Let me go 'way from the Mississippi,
Let me go 'way from de white man boss;
Show me dat stream called de river Jordan,
Dat's de ol' stream dat I long to cross.

O' man river,
Dat ol' man river,
He mus'know sumpin'
But don't say nuthin'
He jes' keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin' along.

(Long ol' river forever keeps rollin' on...)

He don' plant tater,
He don' plant cotton,
An' dem dat plants 'em
Is soon forgotten,
but ol' man river,
He jes' keeps rollin' along.

(Long ol' river keeps hearing dat song).

You an' me, we sweat an' strain,
Body all achin an' racked wid pain.
Tote dat barge!
Lif' dat bale!
Git a little drunk
An' you land in jail.

Ah, gits weary
An' sick of tryin'
Ah'm tired of livin'
An' skeered of dyin',
But ol' man river,
He jes'keeps rollin' along!

As for syncopation and people being physically moved by music to actually move their bodies I have a comment, or observation: I don't usually go out anymore to hear live music. However, my wife and I went out for a date the other night to a local micro-brew place that has live music. The music was very eclectic - some rock, some bluesy stuff and a heavy dose of Irish/Celtic - I don't know what you call it. Anyway, I am one of those people that just has to tap his toes, minimally and bounce around. The Celtic stuff made me wish I had on a kilt to do one of those Scottish highland fling things - very infectious. But I looked around, and there were just so many (the vast majority) people who seemed to be disconnected from the movement of their bodies. They were like sticks. Were they self-conscious? Were they just dead to their bodies? Inhibited? Too cool for school? I don't know. But as I reflect from my days playing live music, maybe things have not changed all that much. People need familiarity to let go. Then again - in the USA, there is no real dance culture to draw upon except perhaps in Hawaii (hula) and CW line dancing. (I am probably leaving something out like native american dance)

I'd chalk that up to muscular armoring and inhibition. It's a sad prison their bodies are in.

 

[davey72]

I was not from a very musical household, but i remember you liking "you are my sunshine"
I often see these memes on facebook, and thought it might be appropriate:

 

[HiThere]

EDIT: Lyrics
I went to see a shaman
He said you'll be alright
Just keep doin' what you love
Every single night

I won't be the one you like
I won't be the boy next door
I won't be the chosen one
That's not what I'm here for
I don't like the way you are
I despise what you hold dear
Don't you try to make me change
I'll haunt you for a thousand years

Doctor
Don't you talk that way
Doctor
Don't you mess my day
Doctor
Stay away from me
Sick is what I'd rather be

I dunno, man, seems pretty STS to me. Although, I will grant that the vocal is kind of Muppet sounding.

Well yes, the lyrics and the sound to me conveys a message of self-absorbedness clothed in heroic posturing, so one can be swept along with it and think "that Lemmy - he is really something" (or Slash or both - or the whole rock n' roll movement.

But that was the point I was trying to make - I and many others have been swept along with Led Zep, Black Sabbath, Stones and the others and developed an identification with these people.
I then struggled with this and had a period where I only listende to "pure" music. After a while that seemed like a sheltered life, so I went at it for real, and learned to appreciate more why the message in rock music was exciting as well as dangerous.

I think it has to do with the impression I had in my youth that these people were true individuals, as opposed to the conform crowd. Now that I'm older and this generation has gone under in drugs and excess it does not have the same appeal, but I still listen to rock and metal from time to time.

I don't feel the rock people are more STS than others; at least Lemmy is upfront about it. And I like my serene music as well as the next guy, but I am (still) STS and that is probably why I connect to this music.

I hope I am developing and have a clear idea of what i aspire for, but at the same time I do not want to sweep under the rug important connecting points to my own past. :)

 

[HiThere]

I dunno, man, seems pretty STS to me. Although, I will grant that the vocal is kind of Muppet sounding.

Well yes, the lyrics and the sound to me conveys a message of self-absorbedness clothed in heroic posturing, so one can be swept along with it and think "that Lemmy - he is really something" (or Slash or both - or the whole rock n' roll movement).

But that was the point I was trying to make - I and many others have been swept along with Led Zep, Black Sabbath, Stones and the others and developed an identification with these people.
I then struggled with this and had a period where I only listened to "pure" music. After a while that seemed like a sheltered life, so I went at it for real, and learned to appreciate more why the message in rock music was exciting as well as dangerous.

I think it has to do with the impression I had in my youth that these people were true individuals, as opposed to the conform crowd. Now that I'm older and this generation has gone under in drugs and excess it does not have the same appeal, but I still listen to rock and metal from time to time.

I don't feel the rock people are more STS than others; at least Lemmy is upfront about it. And I like my serene music as well as the next guy, but I am (still) STS and that is probably why I connect to this music.

I hope I am developing and have a clear idea of what I aspire to, but at the same time I do not want to sweep under the rug important connecting points to my own past. :)

 

[monotonic]

I find this interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac

Someone commented about missed-beat syncopation. I would say the Amen break is a sort of fractal extension of that.

A lot of hypnosis seems to have to do with getting a person to not notice when something goes missing. This could be applied to missed beat syncopation, but I don't think it's universally true. Syllables in speech are used to emphasize meanings and contain plenty of irregularity. There are cases when the beat acts as syllables for music, emphasizing the meaning.

Listen to the entire track that contains the Amen break:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxZuq57_bYM

When I listen, it seems to tell a story, and the beat seems deliberately composed to support the track's premise. It seems to be a story about a completely unexpected and unpredictable event. In the amen break the "break" is totally unexpected and unpredictable, and catches you off-guard. In this usage it seems to be the opposite of hypnotic - it gets you to sit up and take notice.

So what if we made a song about psychopaths where a psychopath performs some kind of obvious manipulation, in timing with a missed-beat drum track? The missed beat would ideally have the effect of emphasizing the warped behavior of the psychopath in a catchy and memorable way. So there is my theory on how beats can be consciously utilized to convey a message (in this case danger, or as a warning).

 

[whitecoast]

I find this interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac

Someone commented about missed-beat syncopation. I would say the Amen break is a sort of fractal extension of that.

A lot of hypnosis seems to have to do with getting a person to not notice when something goes missing. This could be applied to missed beat syncopation, but I don't think it's universally true. Syllables in speech are used to emphasize meanings and contain plenty of irregularity. There are cases when the beat acts as syllables for music, emphasizing the meaning.

Listen to the entire track that contains the Amen break:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxZuq57_bYM

When I listen, it seems to tell a story, and the beat seems deliberately composed to support the track's premise. It seems to be a story about a completely unexpected and unpredictable event. In the amen break the "break" is totally unexpected and unpredictable, and catches you off-guard. In this usage it seems to be the opposite of hypnotic - it gets you to sit up and take notice.

So what if we made a song about psychopaths where a psychopath performs some kind of obvious manipulation, in timing with a missed-beat drum track? The missed beat would ideally have the effect of emphasizing the warped behavior of the psychopath in a catchy and memorable way. So there is my theory on how beats can be consciously utilized to convey a message (in this case danger, or as a warning).

Interesting commentary. My body really, really hates listening to the amen break beat. I feel I'd go nuts if I was locked in a room with that playing 24/7. According to some experts, because of how our body expects the missing beat, something shifts internally to compensate for that. Adding an "unexpected" element at the point of the missed beat can perhaps drive that wedge into the psyche further than if the rhythm was regular and regulated.

 

[BHelmet]

I find this interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac

Someone commented about missed-beat syncopation. I would say the Amen break is a sort of fractal extension of that.

A lot of hypnosis seems to have to do with getting a person to not notice when something goes missing. This could be applied to missed beat syncopation, but I don't think it's universally true. Syllables in speech are used to emphasize meanings and contain plenty of irregularity. There are cases when the beat acts as syllables for music, emphasizing the meaning.

When I listen, it seems to tell a story, and the beat seems deliberately composed to support the track's premise. It seems to be a story about a completely unexpected and unpredictable event. In the amen break the "break" is totally unexpected and unpredictable, and catches you off-guard. In this usage it seems to be the opposite of hypnotic - it gets you to sit up and take notice.
......

Interesting commentary. My body really, really hates listening to the amen break beat. I feel I'd go nuts if I was locked in a room with that playing 24/7. According to some experts, because of how our body expects the missing beat, something shifts internally to compensate for that. Adding an "unexpected" element at the point of the missed beat can perhaps drive that wedge into the psyche further than if the rhythm was regular and regulated.

Hendrix - Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire - c'est le meme chose, oui?

 

[BHelmet]

Fire: release date 1967 - a couple years before that other one...performed by Mitch Mitchell, a white boy no less. Although, I am sure this is an even older mo-town staple. I loved to dance to mo-town back then - and "grew up" with Hendrix, so, this beat does not bother me. I find polyrhythmic things interesting. But it IS an attention getter, or brain scrambler, depending on how you receive it, for sure.

 

[monotonic]

Here is an interpretation of another voiceless track. I suggest you listen to it yourself first:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhJrwAQJbpA

And then read my explanation below, so you can form your own impression first before you compare it with mine. I would like to know how your impression differs from mine if possible. Highlight the text to make it more visible.



When the track starts, there is some danger, but it is perceived as in the past. The present is just right as it is, and the danger is only a potential which luckily came to pass.

The tone is uplifting at the beginning with ominous periods, except that the uplifting tone remains as the ominous tones are "faded" into the background. To me this gives the impression of something fading away in the past.

The rest of the track seems to express sincere gratefulness at the passing of this danger, which serves a dual purpose to emphasize the the intensity of the sadness that could have been.

 

[whitecoast]

Here is an interpretation of another voiceless track. I suggest you listen to it yourself first:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhJrwAQJbpA

And then read my explanation below, so you can form your own impression first before you compare it with mine. I would like to know how your impression differs from mine if possible. Highlight the text to make it more visible.

When the track starts, there is some danger, but it is perceived as in the past. The present is just right as it is, and the danger is only a potential which luckily came to pass.

The tone is uplifting at the beginning with ominous periods, except that the uplifting tone remains as the ominous tones are "faded" into the background. To me this gives the impression of something fading away in the past.

The rest of the track seems to express sincere gratefulness at the passing of this danger, which serves a dual purpose to emphasize the the intensity of the sadness that could have been.

My *blink* on this piece didn't see any danger per se. The start made me think of a couple returning home from a vacation and finding all the things they love about the house still in their proper places. I agree on there being a past element around the one minute mark (1:00), but for me it felt more like a reflection upon a past issue or conflict. Later on I feel injections of "returning to the present."


As a side question, did you see the anime this song was associated with? If so, could that have influenced your interpretation? If not, even the picture certainly could influence the interpretation of the experience. FWIW.