Songs of the Stories of the People of my Past: A Series

There are better ways to cope with the lessons of grief that life passes on to us. When it comes to matters of the heart, I find myself occasionally resorting to bitterness in a way I don’t in any other aspect of my life.  I’m not sure why, and frankly, I don’t want to know why. Instead, let me tell you about them through lyrics that painted who they were in a much better light than I ever could have. 

Waxahatchee wrote an incredible song that wails truth into a cavernous abyss that rattles within my bones every time I listen to it. It’s hard to have an artist I love so much describe someone I once knew in such vivid detail that I see them when I listen. But maybe that’s why I love her so much, she pulls my life out of my body and into her own words. The song speaks to me through its thoughtful lyrics, such as “ if you’re not living then you’re dying,” and sets up for the lyrics that eerily remind me of a wicked time in my history. “You drive like you’re wanted in four states.” A face, a scene, and a person haunt me through the story that is beautifully painted in Waxahatchee's “3 Sisters”. The song has a triumphant build-up that ushers the rest of it into an epic reflection of needing to grow from a past experience. It’s beautiful, and I’m grateful for the song immensely.  The entire song is a collection of stories that uses literature to describe her experience with life and people. I wonder with the title if this song could possibly be referring to an actual sister, or three. Or, could it possibly be referring to the practice of three sisters plots, in which three separate plants are grown together, where they survive better by using the other plants as resources. Could it be telling us that the lessons we learn from our experiences with others help us grow and survive better? I like to think so. Give the song a listen, and you can decipher it for yourself!