*waves*

So, my ex introduced me to Shinedown. Actually, the night he asked me out, we were chilling in a Waffle House parking lot and he was gushing about how awesome the band is and what a wonderful rendition of Simple Man they recorded. Then he promised to sing it to me some time.

He never ended up doing so until the day after he broke up with me, on our way home from work. (This was after I'd moved down 150 miles from home to live next door to him, I worked my rear off to get a job at the bank where he worked, and had said goodbye to my old life as an actress/singer/dancer at Stone Mountain Park) Anywho, he put in Leave a Whisper and started playing Simple Man, singing along. I was sitting in the back seat of the car at the time and it was just too much for me. I just broke down crying. Between the song, his ability to sing it so well, and the emotions and memories attached to it...I just couldn't take it.

So that was my intro to Shinedown.

Since then, Us and Them has been released and of course, I picked up the Limited Edition immediately. I absolutely love both albums and don't believe they can really be compared. Part of the problem with Us and Them is that so many of the songs have so much meaning for me. The words almost seem like they're coming from Jon or from Me...sometimes both. Sometimes when listening to "Your Majesty" I fear that it is indeed how Jon feels about me. *sigh*

Anyways, let me try and move past, at least in this post, my relationship.

There's just something about the music of Shinedown that does something to me that not much else does...

It's like it makes me...more impassioned..lifts me up so I feel like I'm flying...I just...lose myself and find myself in it at the same time. I have a habit of transposing a few of the songs that drop below my range (namely "Burning Bright") or making up descants to the others. It's almost like the music is a Lover in itself, when I listen it's like I'm being held, I'm warm, someone gently stroking my hair and whispering to me that no, things aren't all right, but I'll make it.

Yeah...