Lost in the Waves

I have been spending nearly every day at the beach. I ride my bike 5 miles to the white sand, kick off my flip flops, and run to the shore. Some people like suntanning or listening to the water, but my favorite thing to do is swim. No matter how cold the water is, I submerge in the endless blue, willing myself to become one with the rhythm of the ocean. Normally, this is my time to let go of the world and think about nothing. But lately there have been issues on my mind so deep and heavy that I can’t block them out, even in my safe, happy place.

As I float and think about the things weighing on my heart, this song from my distant memory made its way to the forefront of my mind. “Saltwater burns, the tide always turns when you’re lost in the waves.” These were the first lyrics that I was reminded of. Slowly, the rest of the song crystallized and I began to sing it softly to myself as I swam. As I dove in and processed the thoughts that were weighing me down, I ironically began to feel weightless. I was able to let them go. I felt free. I felt happy. The ocean hugged me, the tide danced with me. And even though I still didn’t have all the answers, I felt peace.

When I got home, I searched for the song and listened to a version sung by one of my favorite singers once upon a time, Natalie Weiss. I figured out the chords, went to a piano, and began to sing it myself.  This process was so soothing to me. I must’ve sung it 30 times in a row until the melody felt so close to my heart that it could have been mine. I fell in love with the song and what it meant to me.

Out of curiosity, I wondered what the songwriters’ motives were for writing the song. I googled the song title, nothing else, and the first thing that came up was this article. I was immediately swept up into the story and could not believe what I was reading. I felt so deeply for the father of the story, putting myself in his shoes, trying to imagine the situation happening to me. Suddenly the song had a whole new meaning. I went to a piano again and sang it with this fresh perspective, and felt that it needed to be shared with the world. That is why I decided to record this piece.

The story doesn’t end here, however. After additional research, I found that the original writers, Kooman and Dimond, wrote this about their own experience similar to mine. “How interesting,” I thought, because the lyrics so perfectly described the article. I thought surely there must be some correlation. However, when I looked at the dates, I was shocked. The song was written in 2011, and the article didn’t come out until 2012. Kooman and Dimond told a story that hadn’t even happened yet.

This song crept into my mind at a crucial processing point for me. It was written to help the songwriter process some of his own issues. And a year later, it tells the story about a boy and his father that literally got lost in the waves.

It is beautiful and artistic to me. And I want to share it with you.

One last thing about my performance of this song: the viola part is imperfectly improvised on purpose. The unpolished spontaneity of it seemed to fit my interpretation of this song. I hope that you enjoy it.