Everyone and Everything

Gerald Brennan—composer, lyricist, pianist, singer

This song popped out of the oven quickly and fully-formed some months after I was released from the hospital after a sudden heart problem that nearly killed me.
At the time I had no idea what the song was about. (This much is actually typical.) Later, I discovered the song was about getting my mojo back, for during my recovery I was as a dead man.
I discovered that it is not enough to be merely Cured of something, one needs to be Healed.
How was this accomplished? Through Grace, for I did not heal myself.
In retrospect, which bestows clarity, I have come to realize that this brush with death was the best thing that ever happened to me. For it forced the things I love into urgent perspective and gave me my life.

Ev’ry soul, ev’ry truth and lie,
all the future may bring,
ancient places and times gone by,
ev’ryone and ev’rything.

Ev’ry day like a well gone dry.
Ev’ry night finds me blue.
It’s not easy to say goodbye
to ev’rything I thought I knew.

Watch the world ‘cause it’s starting to burn,
but I want to come back
as I’m starting to turn into me.

How did I ever get this way –
mad desires and schemes?
Set them up, watch them all fall down.
Nothing is the way it seems.

Watch the world ‘cause it’s starting to burn,
but I want to come back
as I’m starting to learn.
But until I’m the one
who I need to become,
there is no path for me to return.

How can I stop the long slide down,
turn my winter to spring?
As the ice melts from my cold heart
I can almost hear it sing.

Watch the world ‘cause it’s starting to burn,
with a fire that is dazzling,
for anyone who falls in love with anything.
Ev’ryone and ev’rything.