POTF – Cradled in Love
Introduction
Yesterday evening, we had one of those music evenings that my husband and I enjoy so much. The theme was, hmm, can’t you guess? Indeed, it was a Poets of the Fall evening. My husband sitting in his armchair smiling at me with his entire face, a glass of wine like nectar to accompany us, my friend’s chihuahuas sleeping on the sofa on either side of me, and the stereo playing the entire discography of the “Poets”. It was perfect!
After two rather fast tracks, Playground is showing the way into the hit ballad “Cradled in Love” from one of my favorite albums, Temple of Thought. I chose that title because it is intimately linked to the topic of my therapy session of the day. Self-centered much! On this special day, thirteen years of happiness since my husband and I met for the first time, this post could not be about anything else than Love.
Album: Temple of Thought
Song: Cradled in Love
We all have our demons to fight in the darkest corners of our hearts and sometimes, the angel’s side is difficult to hear for the negativism and self-doubts are too loud. We get lost and forget ourselves. But then, when we pay close attention, there is this comforting voice talking to us, reminding us that it is here for us. This is, of course, a very abstract notion. I believe that this voice is coming from our very core so that we can move within.
Why did I choose this particular song? It is nothing else than another love song, after all. I partly agree. This is a love song in the most general sense of the term. Lovers, friends, families can recognise this spark that entwines and links them together. However, I do not believe it to be solely about that, rather a song about loving oneself first. After all, if you start with loving yourself it becomes crystal clear that you will also love and care for others in a deeper and meaningful way.
So, “Cradled in Love” it is for today of all days. The song is sung by the character “Jeremiah Peacekeeper” who probably is my favorite among the ones whom Poets of the Fall have created. To me, he is somehow what others – a little more conventional people – would associate with the angel on their shoulder.
No verse by verse scrutiny
The person (for argument purposes, a woman) who is addressed used to love herself and comforted the “peacekeeper” within by loving herself, dreaming great things and never felt alone. She made a deal of love with herself, but forgot all about it along the way; however, Jeremiah Peacekeeper has not. As she retires more and more within herself, without knowing what to do next or to get out of her own turmoil, his soothing words calm her down.
He reminds her of her own light and fire to bring her back to her inside mirror on the wall and see for herself. He loves her… in truth, she loves herself. No matter how she feels, she has that forever and that is her strength and beauty. If she has to weep it should not be out of sadness for her lost love, rather tears of happiness since she is so loved, and not least by herself.
There is this part in the song, and I hope it is alright to quote here:
Do I even dare to speak out your name for fear it sounds like, like a lover
This is such a strong statement when you think about what I just wrote above. When you say your name (out loud or in your head) and the way you do gives you this electrical shiver in your entire body and makes your heart skip a beat, I believe you’d be very close to loving yourself in the way it is described in the song. All you have to do then is to embrace that love so that you can pay it forward.
We all have a Jeremiah Peacekeeper in us and it is very easy to forget him. I wrote in the introduction that this particular song was intimately linked to my therapy session from yesterday. In a shortened version of what is presently swarming in my head, I’ll attempt to explain what I mean.
I was asked to name the most important things in my life, what really mattered to me. I named my husband, my writing, family, and friends – well, you get the idea. Nowhere in my list, however, did I mention myself. Yet, I am well-aware that I have made incredible improvements during my recovery and I am proud of myself and my accomplishments… but I did not name myself as the most important thing in my life. I am aware that I am at the center of my life spiral, but I did not name it, therefore, there lies the danger of falling back into the vicious circle of performance that society imposes on me – that is to say all of us.
“Cradled in Love” reminded me of that as I listened to it yesterday. It felt so deeply accurate that it was almost weird. I have to find my core, my essence, my own Jeremiah Peacekeeper. What about you? How is your own journey going so far?
In the music video, Marko explained something like the house stood for one’s inner self. The girl comes in backward and gets locked in. Does this ring a bell? He talked about this in an interview that I cannot find any more. But the interview from “The Examiner” might shed some light.
