All My CDs, pt. 36: Driving Blind

Driving Blind - Driving Blind

This is perhaps the second or third album among several that I picked up nearly at random and bought, with no knowledge about the band or any idea of what the music would sound like. I was in my early teens at the time, prone to fits of drama, and new to this adventurous method of discovery, so my expectations exceeded reality from time to time. I was a little disappointed to find that this bland-looking cover contained an album of equally bland-sounding easy-listening-type songs.

But fortune rewards the patient. When teenage-me finished the first nine lackluster tracks, at the end I found what I’d been waiting for: a hidden gem. The final track, Cover Your Eyes, is a piece of musical wisdom that has stuck with me ever since.

I’m grass
you’ve tread on
I’ve known bending, but still I’ve grown
it’s a long ride
to the witness grounds
all the baggage seems to weigh us down
but I surrender is the hardest sign
when neither owns a flag

The message is simple: it’s better to bend, to surrender, than to remain steadfast and perpetuate needless conflict. The stubborn suffer for the smallest of petty principles, but those who remain flexible and know when to give in may find the way much easier for themselves.

Now, I say that this song has stuck with me, but that doesn’t mean I always remember and put into practice its advice. I’ve found myself in countless conflicts I could have easily ended by making some small concession, but something inside me - stubbornness, anger, selfishness, or a vain hope that I might very soon win - has kept me trying to have my way. The most important lessons in life are often the most difficult to fully internalize. One day, I hope this one sinks in to the point where I really can bend, like grass, with the wind.

Next: The Memory of Trees