February 5 - The Recognition Scene

First appearance in this collection so far of the albun Sweden, which is not about Sweden.

There's a small time jump here and it's clear in the confidence and assurance of how the lyrics work with the vocals, on top of a simple but effective guitar through line.

This song speaks to moments in my own admittedly limited experience I've realised that something is over before the something has realised it itself. If that makes sense. And even if it doesn't. The first moment where the inertia of the wild and crazy ride begins to peter out and you're left with the stumbling understanding that this neither goes on forever nor ends well.

I had a moment, about fifteen years ago, where a lot of shit was happening in my life quite quickly. The job I had had for six years would be going away, we were moving to another country for work, and in a comparatively short amount of time I was going to go through the compressed trauma of a close marriage becoming temporarily a long distance relationship. I remember during that time going over to a friend's house for a pool party they were having, and seeing that while my life was turning itself inside out other lives were going on just as normal. I remember a moment where I realised that the friend and work colleague I was hugging as I was about to leave probably wouldn't keep in touch, and that I probably wouldn't keep in touch either. Once the structural reason for the friendship had fallen away and distance was put into place... Facebook wasn't going to cut it. I remember being sad when I realised this, and sad later when I realised I had been right.

It's always useful to realise where on the path you are, but it doesn't always make it easier to walk.