The Soundtrack of My Life

When I was a little kid, maybe four or five years old, my Dad would rock me to

sleep on his big lazy boy. He would gently sing songs to help me go to sleep, and

one that stands out in my mind is "Rock Me On the Water" by Jackson Browne.

This song always reminds me of that big, green chair, and how warm it was to

fall asleep in my Dad's arms. It makes me feel safe and secure because it was

the last thing I would hear before drifting off to sleep, and the next thing I

knew, I would wake up in my bed the next morning.

The next song on my soundtrack reminds me of when I was about eight years

old. My dad bought me my first CD, a self-titled album by the Presidents of the

United States of America. The song that stands out, "Lump", is funny and

catchy, and was even parodied by Weird Al Yankovich.

The song reminds me of when my Dad was trying to teach me to play guitar,

and thought that the Presidents' had funny lyrics that would keep me

entertained, and simple enough guitar riffs for me to learn. Now that guitar

and music have become such big parts of my life, I can really appreciate how

far I've come since hearing that song.

When I was in elementary school, I switched from my neighborhood's school to

the gifted and talented program across town. I only knew a couple people in the

school from my neighborhood, and I was lonely and nervous about the move.

The few kids I knew would carpool everyday, and I got to know them very well.

During this move, I started listening to Third Eye Blind. The song, "Semi-

Charmed Life", will always be stuck in my head, not only from listening to it

literally everyday on the way to and from school, but because the lyrics define

how I felt at that time. I just wanted things to stay the way they were, and I

didn't want this unfamiliar and scary change to occur in my life.

Not until recently did I hear a song that essentially sums up my junior and

senior years of high school. "Twenty-One" by Corey Smith is like a narrative of

my late high school years. I always knew I would get into Clemson, which is

where I wanted to go all of high school, and I didn't put in much effort at all

into my school work.

My only concerns were having a good time and meeting as many girls as I

could. My friends and I would go out on school nights, go to school the next day

hung over, and do it all over again the next day. I had some of the best times of

my life in those years, and made some of the best friends and memories a guy

could wish for.

The last song on my soundtrack is "Walk Away" by Ben Harper. It was my song

at senior prom and I even quoted it in my senior page. It is a sad song about

loss and learning to live with that, which I could identify with when I was

leaving all of my best friends and going to make new ones in college.

However, after a year in college, I have learned to interpret the song differently.

Although it is sad that some relationships crumble and you have to walk away

from people you love, it is just a test to how powerful those relationships are. I

have the rest of my life to meet people and make memories that will define who

I am and what I stand for. If those past relationships are strong enough, I will

find those people again.

The soundtrack of my life is one of happiness and sadness. It tells of love, loss,

and fun. In my life I have made amazing friends, unforgettable memories, and

bonds with my family that will never be broken. Music is one of the most

important aspects of my life now; I write my own music and am going to Los

Angeles this summer to possibly pursue my passion. But it is when I heard

these songs, the emotions I was feeling at the time in my life they occurred, that

will forever make them a part of me.