On My Way to Work
Contemplating Life's Purpose Amidst Loneliness
Lyrics
There is a car parked where the block begins
Observing a parked car at the beginning of the block.
And there are people singing praises
People expressing admiration, attributing success to someone.
Say, "It's all because of him"
The attribution of success to a specific person ("him").
And there is a bird perched on a frayed, wet wire
A bird sitting on a worn, wet wire.
And his voice sings out for a lover
The bird's voice singing for a lover.
But it's covered by the choir of voices
His voice is overshadowed by a choir of voices.
Reaching way beyond the rafters
The choir's voices extending far beyond the rafters.
With devotion, they perform these sacred tasks
Performing sacred tasks with devotion.
They cross themselves and offer up their checkbooks
People crossing themselves and offering financial support willingly.
Slight suffering is not too much to ask
Accepting some suffering in their pursuit.
Besides, we all are making money
A acknowledgment that everyone is making money.
And we are all fucking alone
A realization that despite making money, everyone feels isolated.
And we don't know what we are doing
Uncertainty about the purpose of actions, possibly seeking hope.
Maybe just buying us some hope
Purchasing hope in the form of goods or services.
Because we know that we are lonely
Acknowledging a collective sense of loneliness.
Yeah, lonely, that's for sure
Emphasizing the feeling of loneliness as a definite reality.
And the older ones are coughing
Noticing elderly individuals coughing.
And the older ones are dying
Observing the elderly facing mortality.
Maybe we are all dying
Contemplating the universal nature of mortality.
I pass a graveyard on my way to work
Passing by a graveyard on the way to work.
Today I saw two dozen white roses
Witnessing white roses on a fresh grave.
On a fresh new mound of dirt
Raising questions about the deceased person's thoughts at death.
And I wondered about the occupant
Curiosity about the person buried in the mound of dirt.
When the darkness finally swallowed him
Speculating on the person's emotional state at the end.
Was he calm and content?
Contemplating whether the person was calm and content.
Or was he sweating in a struggle to keep breathing
Considering a struggle for breath and desperation.
Ripping apart the sheets that dressed his bed
Imagining tearing apart the bed sheets in a struggle.
Crying out loud for someone to help him
Crying out for assistance in the face of imminent death.
And collapsing on his back, all pale and dead?
Speculating on personal mental and emotional stability.
Maybe it's me who's this unstable
An ongoing obsession with thoughts of mortality.
Always obsessed about the end
Questioning the difficulty of accepting life events.
Why can't I let what happens happen?
Reflecting on the challenge of embracing the present.
And just enjoy the time I spend
Expressing a desire for simplicity in enjoying life.
Oh, how I wish it was so easy
Acknowledging the difficulty in achieving that simplicity.
But when there is no point to anything
Reflecting on the existential confusion when life lacks purpose.
It can get a bit confusing
The challenge of persisting despite a lack of clear purpose.
Why is that I keep going?
Questioning personal motivation to keep going despite challenges.
Why is that we keep going?
Raising a universal question about human perseverance.
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