About the Song: “The Instrument You Are”
Some songs come to me in a daydream…
I’m an Instrument. So are You.
I lived alone for about 10 years not too far from the Sonoma Coast. I chose to spend these years mostly in solitude, pursuing my spiritual practice, writing songs, and working a full time day job to save the money to record my albums.
Each weekend I would drive the 30 minutes to my favorite beach, where I would pitch my tent and spend the entire day. I would often bring my guitar, my journal, books and enough food to last until sunset.
Most of the time I spent just staring at the ocean, feeling the ocean breeze and the warm sun on my face. I found that all chaotic thoughts — the striving, the struggles and confusion of every day life — just disappeared. My physical body felt as if a hollow tube “for the seabreeze to blow through,” almost like a flute or wind instrument. My mind would become quiet, my heart open, and I could hear and feel the song of the Universe as love, forgiveness, and compassion flowing through me from the ocean waves and the sandy earth.
The Instrument You Are
Feet in the sand, head in the clouds
Body an open and borderless town
For the sea breeze to blow through
To play you out loud like
The Instrument You Are
Lay as you look, up through the leaves
Arms open wide to the sky’s mysteries
As the birds sing to you
You whistle along like
The Instrument You Are
Take it from the beginning
Enter singing, center stage
Follow signs to the ending
Or take the coda, where you can
Repeat, and repeat, and repeat
Now, once more
With feeling.
Stand on the edge, over the sea
Wind and the waves play your Life’s melody
As your Heart beats to it
You’re playing along like
The Instrument You Are
Birdsong and the Wind Through The Leaves Are Nature’s Instruments
The lyrics to the song, and the melody, just came to me, as I sat with my “feet in the sand, head in the clouds” one beautiful day at the beach.
I began to daydream about other Music of the Universe. My love of birds brought to mind the memory of how as a young girl I would lay under the trees, looking “up through the leaves, arms open wide to the sky’s mysteries” and listen to the birdsong.
Life is Like the Coda of a Song – You Can Repeat…and Repeat…and Repeat
My thoughts drifted to how when we are born we “enter singing, center stage” (or crying as most babies do, loud as an opera singer! :). As we move along the path of our Life, there are many signs we can choose to follow to the “end.” But I do not believe this one life is all there is, that we ‘end’ when we leave our physical bodies behind. I believe we live many many lives (reincarnation) to learn our many many lessons to become Unified with all other Selves and eventually back to the One Infinite Creator.
My metaphor for this part of the song lyric referring to reincarnation was inspired by how on a written music manuscript, one of the signs on the page is called the Coda. The Coda directs you back to the beginning of the song (or ‘back’ to the beginning of a new incarnation or life time).
Often the Coda contains Repeat signs: “Follow signs to the ending, Or take the coda, where you can Repeat, and repeat, and repeat….” (in other words…reincarnating over and over until we move to a higher realm of Universal Love and Understanding, Wisdom and Unity).
And Your Heart Beats to It
As I sat on the beach I could feel and hear the “Wind and the waves [playing my] Life’s melody…”
“ And your Heart beats to it, You’re playing along like The Instrument You Are.”
I had the melody in my head as I drove back home. I picked up a guitar, and finished writing the chords and structuring the verses.
The guys in the band play it so beautifully on this recording, and Rob Reich’s accordion solo throughout the song is perfectly delightful!
Later, I saw Gio Bennedetti’s wonderful illustrations on his marvelous Facebook page and website, and asked him to create an animated video based on the lyrics of the song and my ideas for the imagery. He took the concept to such charming and heartfelt scenes… I just love it. I know you will, too!
This song is Track 5 on my album, “Twist Run Road”
Music/Lyrics by Elaine Lucia
Animation / video by: Gio Benedetti
Elaine Lucia, guitar/vocal
Rob Reich, accordion
Cliff Hugo, bass
Alan Hall, drums
©2020 Elaine Lucia Music (BMI)
