How Do I Forgive the Mirror?
I am approaching 100 songs written over the past year, and of all the songs I've written so far, How Do I Forgive the Mirror is currently my favorite.
Not because of the music, but because of the message behind the lyrics.
It's about something many of us understand: making mistakes, looking back at who we once were, and trying to learn to forgive ourselves.
The song is about redemption, but not the kind that comes from pretending the past never happened. It's about facing the truth, accepting that we haven't lived perfect lives, and recognizing that who we are today doesn't have to be who we were yesterday.
When I first wrote the lyrics, I realized that although the story is told through a male character, much of what he is feeling is universal. I've made mistakes in my own life, as we all have, and I understand the complicated process of looking back without allowing the past to define everything that comes next.
I deliberately chose a male country voice for this song. When I write songs with a lot of lyrics, I tend to think about singer-songwriter or country styles because both can leave room for storytelling.
With this particular song, I packed a lot of words and meaning into it. I felt a male country voice would give the story the right character and keep the lyrics at the center of the song.
That choice also helped me step outside of myself as the writer. Instead of making the song simply about my own experiences, I could tell the story through someone else and let listeners find their own connection.
At its heart, How Do I Forgive the Mirror? asks a difficult question. How do we look honestly at our past without becoming trapped there?
Maybe the answer is not to forget our mistakes or excuse them. Maybe it is to recognize what they taught us, acknowledge how far we have come, and keep moving forward.
Life doesn't give us a final grade. We keep learning. We make mistakes, we change, we try again, and sometimes we discover that the person staring back at us in the mirror is someone we can finally be proud of.
The best result of growth is looking back and not recognizing who that person you were was. It just doesn't compute today. You're unrecognizable even to yourself.
That's what this song is about. That's the message.
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Barbara, it is terrific that music, and your talent with words, has allowed you to bring out so many feelings and thoughts you have wanted to express. Once again, you have found a way to let music and lyrics express your thoughts and feelings. Well done.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, your gift for expressing deep, complex emotions and thoughts using simple words and sentence structures is truly remarkable. The message of this song truly is universal. Thank you, my friend !
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