The Lights Will Guide You Home

I just saw the end of the world. In case you are wondering what it looks like, the end of the world is an overweight, balding man in his late thirties. He is carrying a Louis Vuitton checkbook and a cell phone in a Burberry holster, which went very nicely with his lime green t-shirt. I went to Target today to pick up the new Coldplay album, X&Y, and in what had to be a cosmic joke, this man ended up in front of me in line. Because his persona wasn't already ridiculous enough, this human disaster decided to pay for his cart full of groceries at the electronics counter. Yes, apparently you can do that.

The poor kid behind the counter was just overwhelmed. Firstly because the word 'counter' is a bit of a misnomer here. In actuality it was more of a wall with video cameras placed precariously over most of its surface, and a cash register teetering on a plank of wood at the top. So, this kid had to take the items out of the cart one by one, scan them with an awkward hand-held gun, and then place them in a pile at his feet before he bagged them. It took over 10 minutes for him to make it through the shopping cart, which was full of an odd assortment of things resembling a collection a senile old man might toss in the cart if you lost track of him in the store: three pink dog-leashes, a coffee maker, five sets of crappy computer speakers, several gallons of milk, a bathing suit, and a single spoon. When the cashier finally had all this in order, the computer rejected the check he wrote, so it was time to call the bank. There was more to the episode, including this clearly out of shape man ridiculing his friend for "never eating a fruit in her life," but basically there you have it: end of the world.

26 minutes later I walked out with my new CD. (And for $9.98 what a deal!) I should mention that this is a phenomenally good album, upon first listening probably the most powerful albums I have bought in at least a year, if not longer. I actually teared up during one song, which I don't often do, even though music is such a visceral part of my life. And speaking of my life, it is at a point right now where this album fits so perfectly it's almost uncanny. Here you have the endlessly happy and worry-free kid spinning his wheels in a rut that seems to stretch beyond sight in all directions, full of fear and doubt, sadness, and maybe even a little pain. I'm unsure of the beginning and even less sure of the end, and yet music can still rush in, in an instant, and fill all the voids, make it all ok.


Is there anybody out there who
Is lost and hurt and lonely too
Are they bleeding all your colours into one?
And if you come undone
As if you've been run through
Some catapult it fired you
You wonder if your chance will ever come
Or if you're stuck in square one

...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try

To fix you