Somewhere In My Broken Heart

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The greatest threat of injury we face in this life comes not at the hand of our enemy, but from the the hand of the one who claims they love us.

Our greatest pain comes from one who was thought to be the greatest source of comfort. The circle of love has always been an exhilarating ride that, inevitably, plunges many into the shear depths of heartbreak and hell. I admire those who have been dealt kindly in this regard ... they are the lucky ones.

Love places us at great, grave risk. The one we love has a harsh, powerful and deadly weapon at their disposal ... the ability to simply change their mind. The loss of love is our most cruel of all pains, because it is often done at the hand of one we loved, needed and trusted the most. Don't ever take for granted that the person you have deep affection for will be there tomorrow ... the first step for total loss is often complete confidence. And trust.

There is no shield for this. No defense. No protection. No warning. We can accomplish many things in this life except for one basic fact: we can not change anybody's mind about anything. This is something they have to do themselves.

And so Billy Dean came on WoodSongs this past Monday night, carrying in his work-bag of songs and stories probably the most honest and devastating song about loss in recent country music history. "Somewhere In My Broken Heart" was a huge, heartbreaking ballad of intense personal devastation and it rocketed to the top of the charts and helped Billy sell over 4 million albums. He co-wrote it with the great songwriter Richard Leigh, who joined Billy on stage Monday night.

And as they sang the song during the show ... Billy is a fine singer and a talented and rich guitarist as well ... I couldn't help but reflect back to losses and love lost. Even my own. The song connects because so many have felt this emotional knife plunge deep into our souls at the hand of one we trusted and needed the most.

And, my, how the walls of an empty home can thunder in a tsunami of dark stillness at four in the morning ... I encourage anyone who has felt the stunning silence of someone you love drifting away from you to check out the song on YouTube. Here's a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkoL-9fSzsg

This clip is the music video of the song, filmed back when a music video was about the song and not just a blatant marketing vehicle to sell product. I wish record companies got it through their head that the audience only cares about the song, not the marketing plan. Oh, well.

So, a tip of the glass to all on the mend, to any who have carried the weight of someone leaving, to those who have felt the coldness of a steal blade piercing through their soul as the one you love gives up ... and walks away.

I've been off the blogging effort for a while. It's been an unusual and busy four months, to say the least. I've been traveling a lot, working on the new Ravenwood CD, working on the Caney Creek motion picture, Walden is still being shown on PBS stations and it is now released on DVD, WoodSongs has had several special event shows, two kids ... you get the idea.

Next week, a double broadcast event with Sam Bush ... and for the first time in our show's history, I will have a co-host on a broadcast. Thanks for listening and supporting WoodSongs!

Michael