Why This Song Connected With So many People

Sister Hazel

[From my work with clients Sister Hazel]

Ken Block: "I want to be rain that tastes like wine.” (From the song "Your Mistake")

To me, the word “rain” doesn’t mean rain when you hear it in a song or read it in a poem. It's much wider and deeper than that.

“Rain” was a metaphor for imperfections, challenges, mistakes, missteps, fears, anxieties, big storms, and little squalls. Things that were all glaring in my life -- but also things that we all know, universally. Human-ness.

The word “Wine” was hopeful -- and it was a sincere pivot towards wanting to be (and becoming) better. It represents celebration, sweetness, joy, and comfort. Man, I would love to be all of those things for people. All the time.

But the truth is I’ve always been a mix of both. And when I wrote this song, I was a lot more rain than wine. I’ve had a few wins since then -- but honestly I was a mess during this chapter. It was just pre-sobriety and recovery. It’s kinda funny / ironic (and not lost on me) that the word “wine" represented something so positive. But it served the song very well.

At the time that I wrote it, I wanted SO badly to be more for the people I love (especially for Tracy) and for the people who loved me and believed in me. They all deserved a better version of who I was. I think that all of us want to be "better” in this regard -- and I think maybe that’s why this song connected with so many people.

When I’m writing, I always try to be specific enough to paint a scene or to tell a story that is authentic and accessible. But I try to keep things ambiguous enough where people can plug their own lives and stories into things. If I get too specific in a song, I don't think it's as easy for people to resonate with it. But the cracks are all right there within the words. That’s how people find a way into the song.

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