Seashells and Rice
Unveiling Life's Ironies: Seashells, Rice, and the Pursuit of Everlasting Happiness
Lyrics
Little Ann touches down unsure of what’s around
Little Ann arrives uncertain about her surroundings.
She spend days upon that plane that she boarded by mistake
She mistakenly boards a plane, spending days on it.
She passes by the baggage claim
Passing by baggage claim, leaving it for potential thieves.
Leaves it for another shameless thief to take aim
A metaphorical reference to leaving her baggage for others to exploit.
Lock on and steal and invade her dreams
Others take advantage, invading her dreams.
She finds that happy ever after might not last forever after all
Her "happy ever after" may not endure indefinitely.
Precious Ann settles down, settling for what’s around
Ann settles for what's available.
She’s spent so long living alone, no life’s light in left unshown
Having lived alone, her life lacks illumination.
She says, “Excuse the mess that’s left, perhaps it’s best to dim the lights
Apologizing for the mess, suggesting it's best to avoid scrutiny.
And expect this all to disappear or somehow never exist”
Expecting everything to vanish or never have existed.
She thinks that maybe she’s not ready, maybe there’s no afterwards after all
Questioning readiness and the existence of an "afterwards."
And Ann follows the steeple and finds a line of people
Following a path, encountering a line of people.
Holding rice and speaking nice with smiles that they don’t mean
Observing insincere smiles and polite gestures.
She’s gliding down the aisle, toward an alter or funeral pyre
Approaching either a wedding or a funeral.
She finds it strange how irony does not escape
Noticing the irony in the situation.
She finds no epilogue, there might not be an afterword after all
No clear resolution or conclusion, questioning an afterword.
And she rose up from the table
Rising from the table, reminiscent of unstable first steps.
Like the unstable first steps from the cradle
Freezing as if stepping on a seashell, causing pain.
And the froze as the stepped on a seashell tearing off her toenail
Stumbling and leaving herself exposed.
Stumbled as she fell
Experiencing a fall, vulnerable and unstable.
Leaving herself all exposed
Being open and vulnerable after the stumble.
She’s waiting for another verse, something different from the first
Anticipating a different outcome but facing disappointment.
But it’s worse to repeat an ending than to just go on pretending
Preferring to avoid repeating a conclusion but stuck in pretense.
That the breeze may not be sweeter or the grass any greener after all
Contemplating whether the grass is truly greener or the breeze sweeter.
Comment