I realized something today, and it pleases me. You know how you'll be out and about, taking care of business, and there will be some weirdo who's singing? And you're like, what are you doing, do you not realize there are a hundred people near you? Stop singing, weirdo. And we would never do anything like that because it's crazy? Well, today I stood in the 34th street subway station. It's hot, 3 different trains come before mine does. I wait. And I wait. I'm thinking about life. A man near me spits into the trash can. My bags are heavy and my arms ache. So I take myself away, far far away, and while I'm doing that a little tune plays in my head. I sing the tune and think about life and before i know it, I'm singing out loud. What the.
And then I realize why. I think in the city, people sing because they're in their own little worlds, because they're close to so many people all up in their faces. You have to create your own world to give yourself some kind of privacy, your own territory. It's small, sometimes so small it exists only in your mind or behind closed eyelids. But it's yours and you live there, and no one else. And that's when you start singing. Because for all you know, you are alone, just as if you were alone in your house wandering around and you begin singing, which is totally acceptable. I like this. Oh New York... maybe you're not so crazy after all. Or maybe I'm just getting crazier.
8 comments:
Very interesting.
Both options could easily be true.
I reject your idea. You are going crazy.
At least you realized what you were doing. When I was little I used to hum to myself all the time because I thought no one else could hear me.
What song was it?
Carolyn
I cannot recall. It was probably not a real song.
Sometimes I notice myself on the verge of singing along with my iPod. My headphones have been my way of tuning out my surroundings for a long time now, it's great.
The other day I was on the subway and some guy was beat-boxing the entire 40 minutes home.
Ah, beat boxing. You don't hear a lot of that these days.
Yeah, see? The ipod is a fine example of a situation where you're more likely to burst out in song. It blocks everything out so you're in your own little world and you kind of forget others are around. Excellent.
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