Straight to the Soul

It has been said that music soothes the soul. This is very true; I don’t think anyone would argue with that. I know that I turn to music for a variety of reasons from needing to be soothed to background music when I write. I listen to only Daughtry; I do not apologize for that. Their music has guided me through a tumultuous five years that for now, does not feel as if it will settle down (although I have hope it does).

Yesterday, Daughtry released a stripped down version of “Witness” from their Baptized album. From my first listen to the song on the album when it was released, it was my favorite from the album. It spoke to me like no other song has; I related to it in a way that made me wonder how Daughtry knew so much about me and my struggles of the last five years and even before then.

I am so many things that this song speaks to. I suffer from depression that has caused former friends to give me an adios. I still have a hard time understanding how a person could end a friendship because of depression. Does the person not know how detrimental that is to the person with depression? I just shake my head at that and hope karma isn’t too harsh on the person when their time comes. My depression is deep and I have survived a suicide attempt. I have been working for most of these five years at getting better but that journey is so incredibly hard but I have Daughtry and their music to help me. And now I have the most beautiful song to give me peace.

As I’ve said, I’m a suicide survivor. I’m also a cancer survivor. I have been blessed to have my dream come true and am a published author. I would not have seen that day if I had been successful at ending my life. I credit Chris and the guys to unknowingly (to them) helping me get to that point where I can look at my bookshelf and see five books written by myself. Becoming an author was a dream that came true and living one day without the heaviness of depression is another dream I have and “Witness” gives me the hope that one day that dream will also come true. I hope one day to live a life full of happiness and love, something I do not have right now.

The stripped down version is beautiful; it exudes a soulfulness that I’ve never heard in another song. It touches my own soul and heart and the ease I get from it is great. The simplicity of just Chris’s vocals (the best I have ever heard from him) and the piano compliment the lyrics to an elegant tee. As I listen to the song, I close my eyes and can see the hope I wish for grow a little bit. There is a light out there for me. Daughtry has given me and the world a song for those people, like me, who have struggled and felt as if there is no life out there.

There is.