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WeeklyBeats.com / Music / Cosmic Cairns's music / Year of the Plague

Year of the Plague

By Cosmic Cairns on December 15, 2020 10:50 pm

So I've purposely kind of avoided addressing covid in my songs this year because it's absolutely everywhere you look in real life and I kind of want to use my music as a means of escapism.  But as the end of the year rapidly approaches, I'm finding myself in a bit of a reflective mood and it's hard to deny what a long shadow it has cast over the year.  I still don't totally address it head on, you won't hear the words "covid" or "coronavirus" in this song, but it's definitely here in a somewhat roundabout way.  Mostly I was just kind of logging a few things I've been thinking about.  Along with the social unrest (much of which I feel was justified) and the extremely toxic political environment this has been an utterly exhausting year on many levels.  But I still see reasons to be hopeful.  I don't know the meaning of life and neither does anybody else, but I really, really don't think the point of existence is to feel burning, seething hatred towards anyone who's different from you or to feel the need to destroy them or make their lives miserable.  Maybe I'm wrong about that.  Human history would seem to suggest that I am, but if that's the case then this really is a profoundly stupid and sad world.  I personally can't go through life thinking that way.  And truly, it doesn't feel right or true to me.  I'm more inclined to think the massive divisions that humanity faces are more of a challenge that we're meant to work to overcome so we can collectively move forward towards something better and hopefully eventually reach our fullest potential.  And while I don't have any clue how we're going to get there, I believe in us.  Anyway, that's where my head was kind of at when I wrote this one.  You know, a nice light-hearted Christmas-y theme.  smile

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There was a time not so long ago
When you could just pick up and go
Pretty much anywhere you'd want to go

But that was in a different age
Before the year of the plague
Uncertainty was exciting not something to fear

And I traveled over the ocean
Just to see what all lay over there
I wandered across many borders
Yes I used to soar through the air

Year of the plague's got me twisted and flailing
Tired of the lies and I'm tired of the failing
And after all these years
I still don't know the reason why we're here
But I...
I...
I...

Just can't believe we were put here
To hate each other or feel fear
So please don't despair

Audio works licensed by author under:
CC Attribution Noncommercial (BY-NC)

Love the voicemail samples. They add a really interesting touch to the track.

hent03 wrote:

Love the voicemail samples. They add a really interesting touch to the track.

Thanks.  I like being able to utilize some sort of vocal sound that isn't my voice sometimes.  Just to add a little something different.

It's also a true Christmas message.

Devieus wrote:

It's also a true Christmas message.

I guess the Christmas spirit managed to shine through after all.  I knew I should have added some sleigh bells.

Awe, this is spot on. Great lyrics of reflection. Can't fly across the globe literally, but things song helps the soaring happen in our minds. Strings are really nice! I like to stay hopeful too. Even if this isn't stamped out for a while, we'll adapt. And if we keep fighting for justice however we can, gotta be some change right ... right?

Oh man, I love you for this. I am 100% with you.

miraclemiles wrote:

Awe, this is spot on. Great lyrics of reflection. Can't fly across the globe literally, but things song helps the soaring happen in our minds. Strings are really nice! I like to stay hopeful too. Even if this isn't stamped out for a while, we'll adapt. And if we keep fighting for justice however we can, gotta be some change right ... right?

Thanks!  They say the arc of history bends toward justice.  I hope that's true, but sometimes I wish it would bend a little faster.



Q-Rosh wrote:

Oh man, I love you for this. I am 100% with you.

Thanks!  It's nice sometimes to kind of try to speak from the heart and I really do hope that others are with me.

One thing is certain, once all this madness is behind us, we'll cherish time with friends and family even more than before. Though I would not be surprised we get some slight PTSD from that. When I watch TV and I see a group of people without a mask, my first thought is always "wow this does not look safe to me". smile

Great track. I love the break and usage of samples mid point. Great song, great message.

Kedbreak136 wrote:

One thing is certain, once all this madness is behind us, we'll cherish time with friends and family even more than before. Though I would not be surprised we get some slight PTSD from that. When I watch TV and I see a group of people without a mask, my first thought is always "wow this does not look safe to me". smile

Great track. I love the break and usage of samples mid point. Great song, great message.

Yeah that first big maskless gathering whenever it ends up happening is going to feel really weird.  I think it's going to feel weird going into a store without a mask for the first time, too.  It's strange what you can kind of adapt to.

I like the approach of not hitting the subject of covid head on. The title and lyric "Year of the plague" could point to many different ills that haunt us this year or any other year. Love the string arrangements in the second half. Bitter sweet with maybe a little hope in there. Merry Xmas (belated).

NWSPR wrote:

I like the approach of not hitting the subject of covid head on. The title and lyric "Year of the plague" could point to many different ills that haunt us this year or any other year. Love the string arrangements in the second half. Bitter sweet with maybe a little hope in there. Merry Xmas (belated).

Yeah, all the covid songs I'm sure lots of people wrote are really going to (hopefully) seem dated in a couple years.  Sometimes I think it's better to be slightly vague in that you can possibly be a little more universal.  There will always be plagues of one form or another unfortunately.  Merry late Christmas to you also!

Excellent mix on this uplifting sound of a track.  The music has a hopefulness to your "I believe" message.  Sweet outro that leads into the Twin Peaks-esque reverseVmails smile

Tone Matrix wrote:

Excellent mix on this uplifting sound of a track.  The music has a hopefulness to your "I believe" message.  Sweet outro that leads into the Twin Peaks-esque reverseVmails smile

Thanks!  That ending is a bit reminiscent of Twin Peaks, isn't it?  That talking backwards thing'll do it.

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