Five Sad Things

I'm not sure if this was the intent of the blog, but here is an idea I had been working on for an EP. Jeremy referred to it as the "Five Sad Things EP," but I never had a name for it. If anything it was referred to as "those really depressing song ideas."

These stories came about in mid-to-late 2003 from news stories heard on NPR and the local news. I heard all of them within a week of each other, which is why they stood out. I don't typically watch the local news because of the pathetic journalism and rabid sensationalism. All of these stories coming hot on each others heels, though, made an impression, and I wanted to write some sad songs about them.

Beware, these are very sad and, in some cases, morbid.

1. A ten month old baby drowned in a half-inch of water in a five-gallon bucket in his house. His grandmother was watching him. The grandmother was an illegal and spoke no English. Therefore, when she found the baby, she didn't call 911 because she didn't want to call attention to the illegal family members, including herself. Instead, she rocked the lifeless child in her arms until its parents arrived home.

2. A scientist studying trees cut down a very old tree and brought it back to his research univeristy to study. He was unable to determine its age with the technology he had available at that time (60's or 70's). Flash forward to the current day and students revisit this tree to find that it was over 4500 years old. The scientist had killed the oldest living thing on planet Earth, and took his own life upon finding out.

3. A five year old boy wakes before his parents, figures out how to start their car, drives down the street, crashes into a tree, and is killed by the airbag. The parents awake to confusion and terror.

4. A seven year old boy is discovered by police investigators upon receipt of a tip from a neighbor. The boy had been locked in a cage is a small room his entire life with meager food and no socialization. When asked how he felt about his parents, who were hauled off to jail, he replied: "I love my parents, but they don't love me."

Well, I'm deeply sorry to have put your through that. Tragic stories all. My stomach gets knotted every time I review the list (scrawled on the back of a Wired magazine for convenience).

"Wait! That's only four sad things," you say? True. The fifth story was a late addition, and may not immediately seem as fundamental touching on a human level. It is The Hulk. I thought Ang Lee's movie adaptation was proundly sad. The alienation and helplessness of the Hulk really touched me. I doubt I would directly refer to the Hulk in the song, but I would definitely reference those themes and vaugely referrence a number of scenes.

When I get a chance to write some lyrics, I'll be sure and share them. Tragedy inspires me, I don't know why.

- posted by Joshua Provost @ 2:15 PM