Track 4 - A Bad Dream

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public man, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds,
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death

-- W.B. Yeats

After a long, long pause I am back. Sorry about that.
I guess only something as powerful as tonight's concert could've brought me back. I barely have time for anything nowadays...
I am just back from Keane's last concert on the Latin American leg of their Under the Iron Sea Tour.
This morning I was thinking, that whichever song hit me as the most powerful, would be the one to write about.

But... turns out it won't be like that. Even though "Atlantic" was the one (specially with Tom singing a mere 5 meters away from me with images of fire raining down from the sky on the background) it is A Bad Dream that I've chosen to speak of.
And the choice was easy, really. The guys made sure I would not forget this performance thanks to the fantastic intro they put on.

The advantage of not being an absolute fan from hell, is that whatever the band does or says, strikes you as new and amazing. I had no idea A Bad Dream was inspired by a poem from W.B. Yeats. This, Tom said, and immediately the screens transcribed the poem in english, with very considerate subtitles in spanish for us all. I could delight myself with the irish accent coming out of the speakers while following the translation in spanish. Images from WWII aircraft on the screen and the first piano notes sent shivers up my spine....

This song has been my favorite since I first heard the album. Of course, it didn't mean it had to be everybody else's favorite too. We all choose songs for different reasons. For me it was a mix of the lyrics and the melody.... the raw and languid melancholy i feel everytime I hear it. It is as if I am taken back to my early teen years where everything in life seemed so sad, distant and strange. Reminds me of how I started this road of music literacy.

But hey, those were my hidden reasons for loving this song... but then, along comes Tom saying that people have said that "this song is considered to be the best one we've written so far".
I never thought "people" would say that....
Still.... yes... everybody must be aware that the lyrics to A Bad Dream are marvelous.

"Where will I meet my fate?
Baby I'm a man, I was born to hate.
And when will i meet my end?
In a better time you could be my friend."

That's my favorite verse.
It just says so much about human nature I think. And well, now that I know that the song comes from a warlike atmosphere, it makes a lot more sense. But, before that.... it was just about life.

The whole song is a tribute to life's helplessness and of how we long for things to happen or for some people to come back. No matter who or where you are, you must surely know what I am talking about. So, listening to this song, is a beautiful experience of that deep blue feeling.

Waking up from a bad dream.... and realising you are alone.... being tired of fighting... and thinking you wouldn't mind it if that someone was there.

Pure human emotion.

You must be wondering, what about the music? Well.... couldn't be more appropiate. Piano and orchestra-like sounds back up for a lovely melody. Tom's voice is the detonating element. As in every song of his...

Beautiful....
you must know by now I never write about shitty songs, don't you?
Go ahead and listen please....
and enjoy up to the last trembling fiber in your chest....

...did you feel it?

Cheers