Welcome to your life pulse; it’s been waiting for you!
Owning her own life pulse with joy is something Taylor Swift seems to simply exude on stage. Swift appears to have a no-nonsense approach to life’s plentiful foibles. As we start this New Year of 2016, why not take a page out of Taylor Swift’s songbook? Why not own and celebrate our veritable life pulse exactly where we are now, every time we hear Swift’s song, “Welcome to New York”?
When I listen to this song, the percussive intro for several beats permeates my physical being, and I am moved to blast the radio, even louder. As my body syncs up with the percussion, and because I know the song well, somewhere deep inside of me, the mantra begins: “Welcome to your life pulse. The Universe has been waiting for YOU!”
Everyone is invited to the party
Who knew music could be that personal? Well, my guess is every single performing artist out there knows! The rest of us need to wake up, and get in the groove too. Creativity, creating it or experiencing it, is purposefully designed to be all-inclusive, as in, everyone is invited to the party.
So for those of you who don’t watch TV or listen to the radio, and haven’t heard it before, here’s Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York” performed live on The David Letterman show, as posted by Tim Peal on YouTube:
Looking for a visible life pulse
It’s not just the catchy music, or the cool 70s romper outfits that make this song potent and entertaining. The song is just very accessible with its common themes and notions about everyday living. If you have ever been to New York City (NYC), which this song is all about, then you know there is an “aliveness” of the city itself. This very presence is tangible in the city resident’s eye, and in their pace walking the streets of NYC.
So metaphorically, you have the bustling, energetic, aware lifestyle of NYC and then you have your more small town rural and slow, easy-going style of living. It’s good to have metaphors. Metaphorically speaking, channeling Frank Sinatra, “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere,” referring to, of course, New York City, New York. A NYC style of living might be good for spiritual awareness and in the moment presentness.
Then there’s some of the lyrics themselves. For example:
Everybody here wanted something more.
Searching for sound we hadn’t heard before.
And it said, “Welcome to New york; it’s been waiting for your!”
Isn’t it true that every one of us humans continually search for something more? For some of us it’s the job, the salary, the luxuries. For others it the marriage and the family. But all of us search for something, and for a long time usually, we don’t know what we are longing for. Lots of things come along to fill the void, naturally.
But with a slight change of perspective, and a few lyric tweaks, this passage can quickly become that mantra: “Welcome to your life pulse; it’s been waiting for you!” Those words vibrating to sound create visions of possibility and potentials, which at the uber-most arch level include a Universal love or spirit, waiting and longing, for each and every one of us to wake up.
Ever changing bliss, life pulse, relationship, ego
Like any great love, it keeps you guessing.
Like any real love, it’s ever changing.
Like any true love, it drives you crazy.
This passage of lyrics has a melody and beat change, as if to further mark it out. When you fall in love, or try to get to know another person, these lyrics become manifest in your life. What if getting rid of your ego or, better said, befriending and co-existing with your ego were just like Taylor Swift’s lyrics: ever changing, a lot of guess work and crazy making?
Certainly the act of finding true love or a true companion includes all of those elements. Isn’t finding love a metaphor for finding bliss? Rumi certainly thought so!
Aren’t guesswork, ever changing chaos and crazy making exactly what happens as we search for bliss, non-egoic attachment, The Beloved, That Which Cannot Be Named, etc.? Just maybe, when you are in all that chaos, with awareness, that is how you know you are in the neutral zone. You are there; you are aware; and you are without attachment to outcome. Welcome to your crazy, ever-changing life pulse.
Your own life pulse is waiting!
From now on whenever you hear the words “New York,” I’m hoping you’ll also hear “Welcome to your life pulse. The Universe has been waiting for YOU!” Tune in next week for another Grounded Relating Monday Music Challenge.
Full lyrics for “Welcome to New York” as posted on metrolyrics.com are listed below:
“Welcome to New York”
Walkin’ through a crowd, the village is a glow
Kaleidoscope of a loud, heart beats under coats
Everybody here wanted somethin’ more
Searchin’ for a sound we hadn’t heard before
And it said
Welcome to New York
It’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
It’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
It’s a new soundtrack I could dance to this beat, beat forevermore
The lights are so bright but they never blind me, me
Welcome to New York
It’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors
Took our broken hearts and put them in a drawer
Everybody here was someone else before
And you can want who you want
Boys and boys and girls and girls
Welcome to New York
It’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
It’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
It’s a new soundtrack I could dance to this beat, beat forevermore
The lights are so bright but they never blind me, me
Welcome to New York (New York!)
It’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
Like any great love, it keeps you guessing
Like any real love, it’s ever-changing
Like any true love, it drives you crazy
But you know you wouldn’t change anything, anything, anything
Welcome to New York
It’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
It’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
It’s a new soundtrack I could dance to this beat
The lights are so bright but they never blind me
Welcome to New York
New soundtrack
It’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York
The lights are so bright but they never blind me
Welcome to New York
So bright, they never blind me
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
