I wrote this song several years ago when I was first discovering the power of quietness, both in my speech and in my mind.
Left to its own devices, my ego-mind is very busy-busy-busy. It tries to solve all of the problems, achieve all of the goals, make all of the words, and please all of the people. Since this is impossible, it also feels All Of The Stress.
But thankfully, it turns out there’s a higher, bigger mind to tap into instead, and the key to it is mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the practice of noticing experience rather than trying to control it.
Or, as in the last verse of this song, it’s a practice of trying to “stop talking and just keep myself company.”
When I can practice it, the result is rich quietness. That’s what I want more of—and that’s why I wrote this song.
Connections
Some connections my busy mind makes between this song and other things, including some things I’ve written about on here:
reflections about where we look for safety, because I think that essentially, all that ego-mind busyness is a scramble for safety.
my “Z” poem in my alphabet meditation series (among other learning poems), which includes the lines: “Climb up out of the fray / watch from a higher level / all the dramas of my day.”
my recently getting diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and autism—no wonder my particular ego-mind is so busy!
generally learning to be in my body and acknowledge my feelings, rather than intellectualizing them away.
What connections does this song bring up in your mind?
“Fade Out” lyrics
I’m busy, I’m burdened
writing the story of me—
how my day’s been, all that’s happened
in my autobiography.
And my plans and my worries
add to the cacophony.
I want to let it all go, for I know
what will be will be.
Let the words fade out
and fly away on the wind.
In the here and now,
let quiet come in.
I think on my issues
and cogitate till my head aches.
But am I really thinking,
or am I just playing old tapes
with subliminal voices that whisper,
“You’re doing it wrong”?
Let me turn off the noise.
In this moment is where I belong.
Let the words fade out
and fly away on the wind
In the here and now,
let quiet come in.
Breathe and feel
what’s here, what’s real.
Breathe and feel
what’s here, what’s real.
Breathe and feel
what’s here, what’s real.
The more I stop talking
and just keep myself company,
the more I can be still
and listen abundantly.
Life’s so much vaster
than my little mind pretends.
So just let it rest
and attend my experience.
Let the words fade out
and fly away on the wind.
In the here and now,
let quiet come in.
Share this post