Welcome back to my Shine That Light blog which looks at the song that was written for the Humpty Dumty Foundation in Australia. All profits from the digital downloads go to the charity. I am about to re-release the song in late March/early April using a children's choir.
The two opening lines to Shine That Light are:
The two opening lines to Shine That Light are:
'Another day goes by without a letter or a call
I'm not the only one who's travelled down this weary path before.'
The next two lines are built around D and C minors.
'Mother I love you although I broke your heart
Father I love you, although we're far apart'
Shine That Light is written from the child's perspective. The child in the song is unaware what the real issue is, and because they see their mother crying, they feel they are to blame and racked with guilt. The paradox being, they are crying out how much they love their mother although they feel they have broken her heart, when in reality the mother is just emotional as all mother's would be in the same situation.
It is sometimes hard to convey the emotional context, but hopefully I have done it some justice here. You can always let me know if there is a better way to express this.
In the father's case, he has to carry on working and therefore he doesn't get to spend as much time as he would like, hence the line 'although we're far apart'. I am certain most fathers feel a great sense of frustration at having to work when their child is seriously ill. I realise there is compassionate or carer's leave available to parents in times of need where I live but I'm not sure how widespread that is.
It might be a good opportunity for you to let readers know what support services are available where you are from by leaving the details in the comments section below.
It must be so hard for children to understand what is going on where they have a serious illness that requires them to spend time in hospital. Especially when they are very young. They spend their days on a ward surrounded by doctors and nurses running tests and dispensing medicines.
When I think about what the child is saying, and how insecure they are feeling, I find myself asking the question 'Why isn't anyone helping the child understand how much their mother and father love them and that the emotions displayed are merely a result of the child's illness and not the child themself?'
If you are a counsellor and provide help and understanding to parents and children in this situation, I salute you.
I would really welcome your comments so don't be shy, let me know what you think of the blogs.
Join me for the next installment of this blog.
I am a songwriter
Guy Simons
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