Jasiri

Thursday morning, I dropped in to Starbucks for a soy chai and walked out with Lizz Wright’s latest album, The Orchard. I was delighted to find that she remade Sweet Honey in the Rock’s Hey Mann. Her voice complicates my soul. On the one hand the husky, sorrowful sound with a hint of longing…aching, is unbearable; but the sound is so beautiful, it begins to feel good to wallow in my sadness.  The lyrics are practically the story of my last relationship:

Hey mann,
Whatcha doing here?
I don’t remember letting you in.
Hey mann,
How’d you get in here?
You’re in my heart without consent.

I always took pride
in my self control,
To my heart only I had the key.
But something’s gone wrong
in my radar screen.
You slipped by
and you captured me.

I done all I could to keep my head clear,
Logic tells me that this should never be,
But there’s no mistaken the shape I’m in,
Love has filled my every waking day.

Now here’s the strangest thing,
A day has come I thought I’d never see,
I walk smiling in a light glow
and I’m calling out your name,
I’ve lost the battle,
and I’m quite well pleased