Day 7 - Voices

The devil on my shoulder

Speaks so smooth to me

Scarlett lips and silver tongue

So easy to believe

But I can't seem to grow

Can't seem to change my ways

While you're in control

Darkness, it will reign

Darkness, it will reign

Angel, angel come

Be gone of this charade

Drown the voices, silent now

At least, for another day

But I can't seem to grow

Can't seem to change my ways

While you're in control

Darkness, it will reign

Darkness, it will reign

Even though I have hundreds of songs in my iTunes library, I only listen to 2 or 3 each day, on repeat. One of my favorites is Voices by Joe Brooks. In most songs, Joe Brooks, a British 25-year-old singer/songwriter, sings about his rollercoaster love life. What I love about this song is that it is different from his others, but still sounds so raw and honest. To me, the lyrics represent his struggles with whom he should believe. There is the devil on his shoulder, who convinces him to do the wrong thing, yet simplifies everything, and the angel, who improves his life day by day. He has trouble taking control over his own life, which he believes is in the hands of the devil and the angel. Although the lyrics are complicated and can be interpreted in many ways, I think that everyone can agree that this song is simple and beautiful.

Yes, I think I would be able to live without this song, but the words relate so well to my life. I’m in a bit of a pickle right now (did I really just say that?), and I have many people telling me different things. The “devil” in my situation is convincing me to end things with the person because I am unhappy. And yes, it’s true, I’m not as happy as I should be, but I haven’t really had a chance to get to know the person well enough in order to be fully happy with them. On the other hand, the “angel” is telling me that I should tell the person how I feel, and see how it goes from there. I’m not sure what to do, and how to overcome my confusion, and all I really need right now is someone’s honest advice. I can’t trust myself with this type of decision, for I have already made the same mistake once before. It’s frustrating, and I think that’s very similar to how Joe Brooks felt while writing this song.

The chorus of this song reflects the same feelings I’m currently having. “But I can’t seem to grow; Can’t seem to change my ways; While you’re in control; Darkness, it will reign; Darkness, it will reign…” I’ve been going back and forth for a while now, thinking about the pros and cons of every decision. I’m afraid of making the wrong choice. What if I regret it? But then again, it’s not worth feeling awful. If it were that important to me, I wouldn’t be changing my mind like this, right? Other people are making my decisions for me, and I don’t have the guts to stand up to them and pick a side. Joe Brooks is giving me a different perspective on my problems in the form of a beautiful song.