Verse 29 | Tao Te Ching | Control And—Maybe Even Surfing

Control.

This verse reminds me of the act of surfing. There is a wave. That wave is righteous. When one catches it, it’s exhilarating. There is so much power and energy in that wave. One can glide on it, or cut and ride it. It takes a certain amount of control to do that: to control the board. However, the rider does not control the wave.

The wave is the force of nature. The force of natural order. There is no controlling that.

The same can be said at the point of biffing on a wave and falling into the water, with such force and current driving you along. It’s dangerous. I was taught, to just let go and be still and let the wave take you. When it subsides, then be active.

How much do we try to control with our own ego or self—or more to the point, in the classical definition of the word: too much ego? The Ego is simply our conscious mind, and too much of anything might not be best? This verse is also about excess and extremes as much as it is the natural flow and order of life as an organism on a huge rock in space, floating around a sun, that is within that large organism we call a solar system, within a larger organic system we call a galaxy, within an even larger organism we call a Universe.

Know thyself. I am sensitive. I am also very strong. I am very hard working. I can also be lazy.

Is the answer to avoid extremes? Let us discuss this, please. This is an invitation. However, it would be best to read each of these translations, and not just the Brown translation. You will see the effect that translation has on exact meaning. With all nine of these verses read, perhaps deeper meaning can be construed.

Verse 29

Brown Translation

If you try to grab hold of the world

And do what you want with it,

You won’t succeed

The world is a vessel for spirit, and

It wasn’t made to be manipulated

Tamper with it, and you’ll spoil it.

Hold it, and you’ll lose it.

With Tao, Sometimes you move ahead

And sometimes you stay back;

Sometimes you work hard

And sometimes you rest;

Sometimes you’re strong

And sometimes you’re weak;

Sometimes you’re up;

Sometimes you’re down.

The sage remains sensitive,

Avoiding extremes,

Avoiding extravagance,

Avoiding excess.

Verse 29

Dyer Translation

Do you think you can take over the universe and improve it?

I do not believe it can be done.

Everything under heaven is a sacred vessel and cannot be controlled.

Trying to control leads to ruin.

Trying to grasp, we lose.

Allow your life to unfold naturally.

Know that it too is a vessel of perfection.

Just as you breathe in and breathe out,

there is a time for being ahead

and a time for being behind;

a time for being in motion

and a time for being at rest;

a time for being vigorous

and a time for being exhausted;

a time for being safe

and a time for being in danger.

To the sage

all of life is a movement toward perfection,

so what need has he

for the excessive, the extravagant, or the extreme?

Verse 29

Kwak, Palmer, Ramsay Translation

If a ruler behaves as if he’s invented the world,

He will do no good at all.

The earth is a sacred vessel—

and it can not be owned or improved.

If you try to possess it, you will destroy it:

If you try to hold on to it—you will lose it.

Some are leaders, then, and others follow.

Some drift like the wind, and others drive hard.

Some are thick-skinned, and others have no armor;

And some are the destroyers, and others they destroy.

So now you know why

the sage abandons greed,

all false charm—

and evert last iota of pride.

Verse 29

Dale Translation

Those who have most power and wealth

Treat the planet as a thing to be possessed,

To be used and abused according to their own dictates.

But the planet is a living organism,

A Great Spiritual Integrity.

To Violate the Integrity

Is certain to cull forth disaster

Since each and every one of us

Is an inherent part

Of this very organism.

All attempts to control the world

Can only lead to its decimation

And to our own demise

Since we are an inseparable part

Of what we are senselessly trying to coerce.

Any attempts to posses the world

Can only lead to out own dissolution

Since we are an intrinsic part

Of what we are foolishly trying to possess.

The world’s pulse is our pulse.

The world’s rhythms are our rhythms.

To treat our planet with care, moderation, and love

Is to be in synchrony with ourselves

And to live in the Great Integrity.

Verse 29

Mitchell Translation

Do you want to improve the world?

I don’t think it can be done.

The world is sacred.

It can’t be improved.

If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it.

If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it.

There is time for being ahead,

A time for being behind;

A time for being in motion,

A time for being at rest;

A time for being vigorous,

A time for being exhausted;

A time for being safe,

A time for being in danger.

The Master sees things as they are,

Without trying to control them.

She lets them go their own way,

And resides at the center of the circle.

Verse 29

Wilson Translation

When a man wishes to take the world and make something of it,

I perceive that this will only end in failure.

The world is an instrument regulated by the gods,

And cannot be fabricated into something else.

He who tries to do this will damage it.

He who tries to grasp it will lose it.

Thus, as for the creatures of this world,

There are those who step forward,

And those who follow;

There are those who breathe through their noses,

And those who breathe their mouths.

There are those as strong as the sting go a wasp,

And those as delicate as a sickly sheep.

There are those who are thrown down,

And those who fall down on their own.

Therefore the sage

Avoids all extreme,

Avoids the arrogant and self-willed,

And avoids the excessive.

Verse 73

Lau Translation

Whoever takes the empire and puts it in order I see will find

There is no stop to it. Now the empire is a sacred vessel. It is

Not a thing that can be put in order. He who puts it in order

Will ruin it; he who holds will lose it.

Some things go forward and some follow behind;

Some blow hot and some blow cold;

Some are strengthened and some suffer setback;

Some are banked up and some are pulled down.

Hence the sage avoids excess, arrogance and extravagance.

Chapter 29

Ames and Hall Translation

If someone wants to rule the world, and goes about trying to do so,

I foresee that they simply will not succeed.

The world is a sacred vessel,

And is something that can not be ruled.

Those who would rule it ruin it;

Those who would control it lose it.

In the way of things:

Some move ahead while others fall behind;

Some breathe to warm themselves while others breathe to cool themselves down;

Some are strong while others are disadvantaged;

Some accumulate while others collapse.

It is for this reason that the sages eschew the excessive, the superlative, and the extravagant.

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Infinite Jest | Mike Vitale (Original)

In Buddhism, our nature within The Universe is described as self-excitatory intelligence, or in other words, The Universe creates itself, which in turn, creates us, to perceive itself as a Universe. We are all a small piece of some larger cosmic entity, when one stops to think about it.

In Taoism, Verse 1: “The Tao (or way) that can be told, is not the Universal Tao (way). The name that can be named is not the Universal name. In the Infancy of the Universe, there were no names (there was no one to perceive it). Naming fragments the mysteries of life into ten thousand things and their manifestations.”

This is to say, as smart as we might think we are, we do know the Universe. It is a mystery to us. One that we feel, rather than try to rationalize by giving it a name, or giving God a name.

Bill Hicks, a young stand-up comedian, would end his sets with this short sentiment written below. This was a man who had cancer, and knew he was going to die. He started experimenting with hallucinogens to try and help make peace with his own ultimate and rapidly approaching demise:

“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here’s Tom with the Weather.”

Think about that for a second. It is powerful. You are capable of so much. You are capable of expressing yourself, and bringing joy to others, to create jokes that bring people together in laughter, or to write a song that unites folks under a common thread.

Have you ever thought about how art is the medium in which truth is universally accepted by the masses? That is how comedy works. We laugh, because it’s true. We sing, because it’s true. Truth is subjective. We are all experiencing the Universe subjectively.

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The Puzzle is Now Live on Patreon for Purchase and Streaming

The world is odd, and isn’t obliged to make any sense. Mathematics and science, the religious and pious, eternal discoveries or human invention?

These are the lyrics that occur later in this song. It’s called The Puzzle, and that’s how I see life.

Today, as I was walking to Target to get a 9V battery for my acoustic guitar pickup, I was listening to an audio book discussing time on the quantum level, within the realm of Quantum Mechanics.

What is time, really?

According to John Archibald Wheeler, a theoretical physicist, “Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.”

The reason he said this is because the past and the present don’t exist as separate entities in the micro; the fabric of our reality. “There is no such thing as spacetime in the realm of quantum physics.” There is no linear time in the original quantum formalism. There is no explanation as to how one moment becomes the next, because in Quantum Physics, there is only one moment: the moment of observation, or what we as human beings call, The Present.

As Einstein put it: “People like us who believe in Physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future, is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

We are always at the moment of observation. That is what the present is, and that is a gift. It is the moment of creation, for each and every one of us.

This is the first 45 seconds of the song. It is available to stream and purchase on my Patreon page, under the SHOP tab, through the Patreon App, which apparently, has always been there, even though I just created it.

https://www.patreon.com/mikevitalemusic/shop

Patreon is a way to directly support creators and observers, such as myself. I like making things, and it is lovely to make a living and pay my car payment and my rent, doing what I love. Patreon is a way to help make that happen. If you are a $5 backer or higher, you get the song included for free for being a monthly subscriber.

I like being a creator, now, in the present. I also like being the reason to shake some ass.

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You're Gonna Live Forever in Me | John Mayer

I love the sentiment of this song. It’s beautiful. It made me cry the first time I heard it. John has grown into such a wonderful songwriter. He’s always been special, but he only grows to new boundaries with every album he releases. May this trend continue as we grow old, together, in the same lifetime.

He starts with the Macro, and as the song progresses, into the Micro of Human Relationships.

It’s a stunning piece of work. If you are unfamiliar with the song, I highly recommend listening to it. He performed it on piano, but I have a deep fascination with adapting piano songs to guitar, so I did that with it.

Most importantly: we are animal, living symbiotically on a planet in orbit around a sun, which is one of a billion solar systems, orbiting around a super massive black hole, which is one of a trillion of other galaxies, in a rapidly expanding Universe. We are all part of that—and perhaps that is what so many religions describe in their sacred texts—simply asking or maybe urging: treat others the way you would want to be treated yourself, because we are all a small piece of the same thing, and we live eternally inside that. Forever and ever. Amen.

YOU’RE GONNA LIVE FOREVER IN ME

words and music by John Mayer

A great big bang and dinosaurs
Fiery raining meteors
It all ends unfortunately
But you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, just wait and see

Parts of me were made by you
And planets keep their distance too
The moon's got a grip on the sea
And you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, it's your destiny

Life is full of sweet mistakes
And love's an honest one to make
Time leaves no fruit on the tree
But you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, it's just meant to be

And when the pastor asks the pews
For reasons he can't marry you
I'll keep my word and my seat
But you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, just wait and see

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Want by Mike Vitale

I wrote this song shortly after moving to Los Angeles. I was astounded by the tremendous amount of homelessness in my neighborhood, and in Southern California in general. And if those numbers weren’t astonishing, the pandemic exponentially increased the homeless population to a scale I could never possibly imagine.

I don’t have an answer to fix it. I really wish I did. I am an empathetic person, and there are millions of reasons why an individual ends up on the streets—and while I do not have a solution, I can say that I see possibility. I see value. I see the potential of a person. I see the sense of community amongst the ranks of people I know on a first name basis in my neighborhood. I see the folks who are suffering from Schizophrenia, and Tourette’s, and Manic Depression. I see self-medication. I see people. I see you. I see me.

Want

words and music by Michael Patrick Vitale

A tall glass of water

A safe bed to sleep

A roof overhead

Warm food to eat

A world full of want

Desires and dues

Everyone needs something

Without exception too

Someone to hug us

When we’re feeling blue

Someone to love us

Through and through

Everyone wants

We’re all living proof

Everyone needs something

And I’m no exception too

Maybe under an overpass and over this life

Feeling all alone and cold and scared and hungry at night

Empty as a Dixie cup, discarded just the same

Crumpled up and wasted under pliable walls, blankets, and rain

Who here marks value on things you can count

Please add up all the tents and tarps standing about

Everyone here needs a home and no one ever wants to feel alone

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Help Me Purchase a New Acoustic Guitar

I have been playing the same Martin D3-R guitar since 1996 or 1997. It’s my ride or die. It’s an inanimate object, my best friend, and my wife. I love this guitar more than I love most anything else in this life. I have nearly worn a hole into the soundboard playing it so much. I first saw it in a guitar shop in the Central Valley of California at a local Ma and Pa music shop. It didn’t look like an expensive six-string guitar; it looked like a million songs to me. I didn’t quite reach that mark, but, I’ve written more tunes on this guitar and seen more stages playing it than I can ever count. It has traveled with me on nearly every tour save for one a last year, where it was being repaired by my friend Greg Coates.

It’s getting old though, geriatric even. It needs some serious TLC from a guitar repair person, and my tour schedule is not slowing down anytime soon, in fact, it is only increasing in intensity—and the repairs required for my acoustic will take months to get to from a Martin Certified Repair Person. The white binding along the body that holds the sound board and back to the rest of the body, is coming loose. Quite literally, the front and back of the guitar will come off unless I get it repaired after this tour. It will take approximately 3 months to 6 months to get it repaired under warranty from Martin, and I leave for tour again at the end of September.

I am reaching out to friends, family, and fans for help purchasing a new Steel String Acoustic Guitar, that’ll last me another 30 years of playing.

In the past three days, I have raised $520 from all over the United States. I can’t thank you enough for this. I have the lofty goal of $4,000, however, I am trying my best to get myself into a guitar that is a work of art and helps me to feel like an artist and creator. I have been eyeing some Collings Guitars for a number of years. They are handcrafted, and worth every bit of what they cost. They are based out of Austin, Texas and well worth the investment.

I want to be in love with this guitar. I want to write a thousand songs on it that help to make this world a little better than how I found it. I want to write some songs on this guitar that will shake some asses and propagate all the good vibes of a righteous good time.

Anyone who donates or pledges money, will receive a download of my new album DESERT DOGS, which is being released to streaming services one single at a time, into 2024.

Here is a link to donate money.

DONATE HERE

I promise to send a download link as soon as possible. I am on the road right now. I’m currently in North Carolina, playing my second show in Greensboro, tonight. As soon as I have my laptop in front of me, I will send a download code.

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Mark Twain | A New Single August 18th 2023

Samuel Langhorne Clemens

My next single is being released on August 18th on this year of our Lord, 2023. It is probably the most convoluted story I have ever told—perhaps beside The Incredible Shrinking Brain—but we will save the later for a different day.

Mark Twain. It’s a brilliant pen name for Samuel Langhorne Clemens. It’s riverboat slang. It was also the pen name of another riverboat pilot who wrote for a Riverboat Almanac. Samuel Clemens stole the idea from him. He admits to this notion in his book entitled “Life on the Mississippi.”

Regardless, it is a brilliant pen name if you examine it for what it is and what it represents. Mark Twain is a measurement of depth. Sounding boats and sounding poles were used by those navigating the murky waters of a muddy river that we are all familiar with as American Citizens: the Mississippi River. It has no rocky foundation to its deepest depths. It is a muddy river. It constantly changes in depths and sizes naturally due to this proclivity endowed to rivers of such quality. However, because of this—it is dangerous. A riverboat can easily run ashore, or find the unwelcome sand of a shoal, if not constantly checking the depth of the river using sounding boats and sounding poles. This is where the notion of marks and numbers come from. These depths would be shouted by those using the sounding poles, to measure depth, to those listening for their instruction as they piloted the vessel.

The Mississippi River in Hannibal, Missouri

Mark Twain means two fathoms deep. It is the cut-off between dangerous and safe passage. Mark Twain is the shallowest depth in which a riverboat may pass without peril or hazard. Mark Twain is the convergence of safe and dangerous; it is the point in which these two opposing outcomes meet.

Moving forward with this as a title—I found a curious story regarding Samuel Langhorne Clemens and Halley’s Comet:

Halley's Comet appeared in the sky when Mark Twain was born in 1835. The comet moves in a seventy-five or seventy-six-year orbit, and, as it neared Earth once again in the year 1909, Twain said,

I came in with Halley's Comet... It is coming again ... and I expect to go out with it... The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'

Hannibal, Missouri. Samuel Langhorne Clemen’s Childhood Home

Sure enough, he died on April 21, 1910, just as the comet made its next pass within sight of Earth.

I was born on April 21st 1979. That has no relevance to this story, and I’m sure it is quite coincidental.

This song, that I am releasing August 18th, tells the story of Halley’s Comet and our Sun. It also, can stand for something completely different. It can be representative. Metaphor. Hyperbolic. Whatever the case may be: I am proud of its words and music and to be releasing it as I hear it in my head. It is a tip of my hat to someone I admire and a love letter of sorts to a romantic idea. I can’t help but be carried away by the trade winds of whimsy. I prefer it, as I can’t imagine life without my creativity to put wind in my sails in the first place.

For you.

May we all be friends and find the beauty in one another, no matter how difficult or easy that proves to be, ultimately. Perhaps—perhaps there are intrinsic links that bind us all to one another, if not just within the matter which makes everything, the gravitational forces caused by mass and its manipulation of spacetime, and the loosely understood physics of such.

You can pre-save the song at this link:

PRE-SAVE LINK

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Verse 26 | Tao Te Ching | Tranquility and Seductions

You will see many discrepancies with the translation of this verse. THIS is why I have so many copies of the Tao Te Ching, translated by various people. Translation—it's a strange strange beast. It's everything to truly understanding what is being conveyed.

Wow, this verse kicked my ass. I am very much guilty of losing sight of my tranquility. I could say that I let others take it from me—but that is not true.

I take it from myself. It does not matter what a person does or says: the response should be... nothing. Kindness. A smile.

I was just in a situation recently with an individual who pulled my ego out of me. Jung would refer to this, as an integrated shadow most likely. My shadow stood up for me. However, there are arguments to other courses of action. Choose-my-own adventure. That is life.

No matter what a person does or says to me: I need to be in control of my emotions. I need to draw my own boundaries when I feel that I am being pushed around or taken advantage of, or any number of other attributes or situations where my tranquility is being upended. My tranquility is my responsibility.

I have much to learn. I am also proud of myself for drawing boundaries with people. When someone says something to me that I don't agree with. Let them know, politely. Truth, my own truth, can be delicately laid. We do not need to be friends with every single person we meet in life. They deserve our respect, so long as they also respect us. If they do not, then there is no further conversation needed. Move on. There are 7.888 Billion people on this planet. Enjoy the company of another one of those from that lot.

What does Wayne Dyer have to say about this Verse? Let me skim and find out. Hold on. Well fancy that. He says much of what I just said:

LIVING CALMLY

"In this chapter of the Tao Te Ching, you’re being advised to maintain a sense of serenity regardless of what you may see taking place around you. Moreover, you’re being told that the true master knows that the ability to stay calm is always located within. From this perspective, there’s no need to assign responsibility to others for how you feel. Even though you may live in a world where blame and faultfinding are endemic, you will own your feelings and actions. You will know that circumstances don’t determine your state of mind, for that power rests with you. When you maintain a peaceful inner posture, even in the midst of chaos, you change your life.

The wisdom of this verse of the Tao Te Ching prompts you to know that you have a choice. Do you want to be in a state of confusion or to have a tranquil inner landscape? It’s up to you! Armed with this insight, the Tao master doesn’t allow an external event to be a disturbance. Lao-tzu tells you that assigning blame for your lack of calmness will never bring you to the state of being that you’re striving to attain. Self-mastery only blossoms when you practice being aware of, and responsible for, what you’re feeling.

This particular part of the Tao Te Ching is one that you’ll probably want to immerse yourself in repeatedly. After all, what could be better than the freedom of going through life without feeling that people and circumstances control you without your permission? Are you depressed? Irritated? Frustrated? Exhilarated? Ecstatically in love? Whatever your current state, if you believe that a changing economic picture or a tapestry of events taking place around you is responsible—and you then use these external factors to explain your inner state of mind—you’ve lost touch with your root. Why? Because you’re allowing yourself to be “blown to and fro” by the shifting winds of circumstance.

The solution for a life of unrest is choosing stillness. The quiet of the Tao is oblivious to any turmoil in the world of the 10,000 things. Be like the Tao, advises Lao-tzu: “The still is the master of unrest.” You have a choice in every moment, so you can decide to be a host to God and carry around with you the calmness that is the Tao, or you can be a hostage to your ego, which insists that you can’t really help feeling disorderly when you’re in circumstances that resemble pandemonium.

Here’s what Lao-tzu offers to you in this profoundly simple passage, from the profoundly simple life he chose 2,500 years before yours:

Vow to seek a calm inner response to the circumstances of your life.

In the midst of any kind of unrest—be it an argument, a traffic jam, a monetary crisis, or anything at all—make the immediate decision that you will find the calm center of yourself. By not thinking of what is taking place, and instead taking a few deep breaths in which you opt to empty your mind of judgments, it becomes impossible to mentally “flit about like a fool.” You have the innate ability to choose calmness in the face of situations that drive others to madness. Your willingness to do so, especially when chaos and anger have been your previous choices, puts you in touch with “the master of unrest.” There was a time when I thought this was impossible. Now I know that even in the most troublesome of times, my reaction is to choose stillness . . . the way of the Tao.

Don’t lose touch with your root.

With a written declaration or picture placed strategically in your home and workplace, remind yourself that no one can make you 26th Verse lose touch with your root without your consent. Affirm the following often: I have the ability to stay poised and centered, regardless of what goes before me. Then vow to put this new way of being into practice the next time a situation of unrest crops up. Do the mental work in advance and you’ll achieve the self-mastery that Lao-tzu refers to in this verse. More significantly, you’ll be in harmony with the Tao, which is your ultimate calling.

Verse 26

Dale translation

Inner strength is the master

of all frivolities.

Tranquility is the master

of all agitated emotions.

Those who succumb to frivolities

have lost their inner strength

Those who succumb to agitated emotions

have lost their tranquility.

The wise cultivate

inner strength and tranquility.

That is why they are not seduced

by addictive temptations.

Verse 26

Dyer Translation

The heavy is the root of the light.

The still is the master of unrest.

Realizing this,

the successful person is

poised and centered

in the midst of all activities;

although surrounded by opulence,

he is not swayed.

Why should the lord of the country

flit about like a fool?

If you let yourself be blown to and fro,

you lose touch with your root.

Verse 26

Mitchell Translation

The heavy is the root of the light

The unmoved is the source of all movement

Thus the master travels all day

without leaving home

However splendid the view

she stays serenely in herself.

Why should the lord of the country

flit about like a fool?

If you let yourself be blown to and fro,

you lose touch with your root.

If you let restlessness move you,

you lose touch with who you are.

Verse 26

Wilson Translation

The heavy fabricates the root of the light

The tranquil fabricates command of the flurried.

Therefore the sage puts one foot

in front of the other the entire day

But never leaves his heavy pack behind.

Though there may be glorious sights at hand,

His course remains high and detached,

as smooth as the flight of a swallow.

How will a lord of ten thousand chariots fool

with his empire as though

he himself has nothing to lose?

Act lightly and you lose your rootedness.

Act in a flurried way and you lose your command.

Verse 26

Walker Translation

Heaviness is the root of lightness

Tranquility is the master of agitation.

That is why the sage travels all day

without ever losing sight of her baggage

She may live in a glorious palace, but

she isn't attached to its pleasures.

Why should the lord of ten thousand chariots

behave lightly in the world?

One who acts lightly loses her foundation.

One who becomes agitated sacrifices her mastery.

Verse 26

Kwak, Palmer, Ramsay Translation

What holds, what you can trust

Is the same as this quietness—

and it is lighthearted.

This quiet light-hearted silence

Is the key to being free from emotion

The sage never abandons the Tao,

he never lets its weight out of sight.

He may live in a fabulous house

But he never gets caught up wanting to—

And through there are always temptations,

He stays unswayed, and smiles.

So why is it that our rulers

Seem so bright, but are

Glib and unsubstantial?

Losing the weight of the Tao

Means you lose your root;

And when you can't sit still

you lose

The source.

Wait Until Tomorrow | by Mike Vitale (Original)

“Wait Until Tomorrow” | words and music by Michael Patrick Vitale

There are crests are trough and crests and trough in a beam of light

And it’s traveling faster than anything else just to bring you something bright

And I myself have often forgot its urgency to greet my eyes

When I’m burdened by the rougher waves of my mistakes while I’m living life

There are crests and trough and crests and trough in this melody

And it’s carefully crafted in words and love and harmony

And although we may not be acquainted or have the pleasure of being friends

It’s a humble gift to anyone who feels the cycle of suffering never ends

But it can wait until tomorrow

It can wait another day
Give it a bit more thought
Reach out to hear what friends have to say

You and I we’re a party of two

But perhaps if you feel the world would be better off without you
It can wait until tomorrow
Please wait another day

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