The Song Wire

‘It is so easy to get lost in a dream that pulls you from the wonders of your reality.’

Harry Chapin is not talked about nearly enough.

Though the singer-songwriter might be best known for “Cat’s In The Cradle,” he has a catalog of vivid storytelling songs filled with distinct characters, poignant emotionality and tons of wisdom.

I grew up listening to his Greatest Stories Live album, a truly wonderful record that betrays Chapin’s wonderful sense of humor and exhilarating stage presence. He tragically passed away in a car accident in 1981, but he is survived by his music.

I love most of Chapin’s music; he is one of those truly rare musical talents. But of all his songs, “Let Time Go Lightly” is one of my favorites. It’s one that I identify with strongly; the message of this song is one that I like to be reminded of from time to time. And I think it’s a message that is all too easy to forget.

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Musically, the song is simple; it’s piano-driven, soft and contemplative, with string fills and a very light rhythm section. The piano part does more than just support the singer - it runs along its own polyphonic path, which creates a much more interesting sonic environment.

But this song is less about the music. It’s a lyrical song.

I let time go lightly when I’m here with you,

I let time go lightly when the day is through.

I keep a watch on time when I have work to do,

I let time go lightly with you.

I love this sentiment so much. The idea of letting go and releasing yourself to the flow of time, that simple idea of enjoying the people around you, of staying in the moment and not wishing to be anywhere else. This concept that he paints is one devoid of aspirations and futures, it is simple in its present beauty, and in that, it is tremendously wise.

Morning, a time for breaking ground and sowing seeds,

and yet we give up our sunshine

so we can buy what we need.

That leaves the evening, to share a fire with a friend or two,

to lose sight of the hours

To go lightly with you

“And yet we give up our sunshine so we can buy what we need,” is such a poignant - if slightly depressing - thought. It is also a tremendously powerful line. It points to the trap of modern society: we miss out on the beauty of the world around us so that we can simply survive. And in doing those basic things needed to survive, we often forget to live, we often forget the value in losing “sight of the hours,” in relinquishing the grip Time has on us all.

Old friends, they mean much more to me than the new friends,

Cause they can see where you are,

and they know where you’ve been.

Music, has been my oldest friend, my fiercest foe,

cause it can take me so high,

Yes, it can make me so low.

Here, he presents two more concepts that are so well-articulated. There is such value and power in old friends, in being known and understood. And his further personification of music, as both a joy and a challenge, is a wonderful way to describe the art and the act of making the art. It is not always easy to make music, especially good music. It doesn’t always come out, and sometimes when it does, it doesn’t come out right. But when it does … it can take you so high.

When I was a child my mother would help me along

She’d rock me to sleep and sing me a song.

So I learned to love the music of all the tunes in my mind

the changing of chords, the rhythm of time.

I love how he parses and understands life through music. Throughout all of his songs, it is clear that Chapin is a passionate lover of the art, and that shines through here. He was raised on music by his mother; he understands his thoughts as music, change as chords and time in rhythm. It’s a simpler understanding of the difficult parts of life, but it is powerful and important.

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This song, to me, really comes back to that first line in the chorus: “I let time go lightly when I’m here with you.” That’s what the song is about. It’s this vital reminder, to me, to approach life in a softer, easier way, to not go so hard on yourself, to not get so caught up in ideas of the future, in wishes and wants and desires.

It is so easy to get lost in a dream that pulls you from the wonders of your reality.

This song works against that, and I love it for that. I love it for its simple wisdom, for its piano backbone, for Chapin’s soft, smoothly compelling voice. It’s a beautiful song - written by Stephen Chapin - and it is a song that everyone ought to experience.

‘It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live,’ - Albus Dumbledore.