About 2 months ago, I was introduced to a man by the name of Jon. Jon Foreman, to be exact. You may or may not have heard of him before, but I'm guessing if you've heard of Switchfoot, you probably know who he is, just don't know his name. Well, Jon is the lead singer and songwriter for Switchfoot. He recently released a few solo albums, or EPs if you will. I guess I should clarify that I didn't actually meet him in person, but I feel like I know him after listening to these three albums. If you like Switchfoot at all, or even if you don't for that matter, you need to check these albums out: Winter, Spring, and Fall (Summer is not out until, you guessed it, summer). I don't know that I have a more favored collection by an single artist than these three albums. The way he writes about his world and his relationship with Jesus really takes me on an emotional roller coaster. One song, I'm very happy, the next very contemplative, and the next about to cry. Happens every time without fail.
There is one song in particular that has been in my head pretty much since I bought the CD. Its called "Somebody's Baby". Simply amazing:
She yells, "if you were homeless, sure as hell you'd be drunk
Or high trying to get there, or begging for junk
When the people don't want you, they just throw you money for beer"
Her name was November, she went by Autumn or Fall
It's been seven long years since the autumn
When all of her nightmares grew fingers
And all of her dreams grew a tear
She's somebody's baby, somebody's baby girl
She's somebody's baby, somebody's baby girl
And she's somebody's baby still
She screams, "well if you've never gone it alone
Then go ahead, you better throw the first stone
You've got one lonely stoner, waiting to bring to her knees"
She dreams about heaven, remembering hell
As a nightmare she visits and knows all too well
Every now and again when she's sober
She brushes her teeth
She's somebody's baby, somebody's baby girl
She's somebody's baby, somebody's baby girl
And she's somebody's baby still
Today was her birthday, strangely enough
When the cops found her body at the foot of the bluff
The anonymous caller this morning tipped off the police
The got her ID from her dental remains
The same fillings intact, the same nicotine stains
Her birth and her death are both over with no one to grieve
She's somebody's baby, somebody's baby girl
She's somebody's baby, somebody's baby girl
And she's somebody's baby still
Every time I hear that song, it just about makes me tear up. It makes me think about things in a whole new light. Anyway, enough depressing stuff, all that to say if you are reading this and have some extra time and a little extra money, you should get on iTunes and buy his stuff. You'll be glad you did, I haven't taken it out of my CD player in my car since I bought it, just ask my wife. I guess I don't get tired of music as quickly as she does?
Also, got to spend some time with our niece and nephew over the weekend. Had a blast, they're funny kids, that's for sure. Just about as soon as Breklinn was in the car, she had me cracking up. We pulled up to McDonald's for a quick bite, and before the person taking our order could ask, I heard a little voice behind me yell out, "it's for a girl!" to make sure she got the right toy. I kept quoting that line throughout the weekend after that. We got to spend the majority of the day on Saturday with Silas, our 1 1/2 year old nephew. He was about as content as any little boy could be, and was that way for the entire day. We felt like we were playing house walking abound the mall with a little one in a stroller, being sure not to mention that he wasn't ours to anyone who commented on how cute or well behaved he was. We simply laughed and said thanks most of the time. Way fun. We took him to dinner with at Macaroni Grill, and he would just sit there and watch us and try to mimic what we did; he'd reach over to try to dip his bites of bread into the oil like we were doing, or he reach over as if to ask if he could have some of the broccoli or asparagus that I was eating. Not that I'm quite ready for kids yet, but if I were, he would have pushed me over the edge right there. I wish there was a way to guarantee that they'd alway be so well behaved. But I'm sure that's not that case. Perhaps that might explain certain gray hairs that have recently presented themselves on certain heads?
