In May of 2015, I moved to Ohio, and in December of 2015, it became unbearably frigid (in my opinion, of course). While my husband is perfectly comfortable in this climate, I prepare with seriousness every time I endeavor to enter the cold. A sweater, two coats, a ginormous infinity scarf, a hat, and gloves envelop me in warmth and safety as I bear the season. But that’s the worst part about winter here. The best part?
Cozy nights inside.
Yes, bundled in layers of blankets with my cup of hot cocoa in one hand and a good read in the other, a candle lit across the room, and snow falling gently outside the window, I’m in for a treat. Yet one thing is missing:
A beautiful set of songs to complete the mood.
There’s one album that I always go to for an evening like this: Atlas: Year One by Sleeping At Last. It’s a mesmerizing musical masterpiece made of thirty unique songs that range from elegantly sorrowful to passionately joyful. But the one piece that brings me goosebumps every time is Saturn.
Within the first 20 seconds of the beautiful sound of stringed instruments, I guarantee that the hairs on your arms will be standing up as though you’ve heard a cackling, long roar of thunder. The song is only four minutes and fifty seconds, with two minutes and twenty-six seconds of it being instrumental. It’s seemingly simple and short, so short that I can fit the all of the lyrics in this post without them being much of an obstruction:
you taught me the courage of stars before you left.
how light carries on endlessly, even after death.
with shortness of breath, you explained the infinite.
how rare and beautiful it is to even exist.
i couldn’t help but ask
for you to say it all again.
i tried to write it down
but i could never find a pen.
i’d give anything to hear
you say it one more time,
that the universe was made
just to be seen by my eyes.
i couldn’t help but ask
for you to say it all again.
i tried to write it down
but i could never find a pen.
i’d give anything to hear
you say it one more time,
that the universe was made
just to be seen by my eyes.
with shortness of breath, i’ll explain the infinite-
how rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist.
Despite its brevity, it’s deceptively exquisite in lyrics. Filled with so much goodness, reflection, and meaning, it leaves you bursting with emotion. The orchestra sounds like a hybrid of heavenly and celestial in the most peaceful way. It’ll give you the chills.
Unsurprisingly, the first couple of times that I listened to this track, I couldn’t even focus my attention on the book in my lap. I was so stuck in the wonder of it that my book ended up closed and on the floor beside me. After having listened to it once through myself, I then forced my housemates at the time to join me in listening, and we sat for an hour (this is not an exaggeration), replaying it, and taking our shot at interpretation.
If I could describe the sound of this song in one word, it would be eternal. So, all of this is to say, whether you are busy or not, getting cozy tonight or not, you need to listen to this now.
