Today I woke up with the first piano notes from Hamilton's It's Quiet Uptown ringing in my head. It amazes me how music can evoke and heal big feelings. This song is one of those songs, it deals with the big things, the unimaginable.
At this moment in the musical, the Hamilton's are going through their unimaginable time: the loss of a child, compounded by public infidelity revelations damaging their marriage. The song beautifully shows two souls who are desperately trying to get through every day during the unimaginable. The process of grief, finding something bigger than themselves, and then the power of forgiveness.
It is redemption through grief. Grief cuts to the core of what we value and we realize what truly matters in our life. Grief is a strange bird and this song eloquently follows those feelings. It's a jam-packed 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Thank you Lin-manuel Miranda for your beautiful words. I hope they can help you through the unimaginable.
Music heals and you can use it to help feel and release emotions that are hard to find by ourselves. You can also use it to uplift and create energy. Music is an amazing tool. Use it!
I think this image by Anders Zorn, The Omnibus matches the mood of this song.
Here's a link to the song by the original cast followed by. their lyrics:
There are moments that the words don't reach There is suffering too terrible to name You hold your child as tight as you can And push away the unimaginable
The moments when you're in so deep It feels easier to just swim down The Hamiltons move uptown And learn to live with the unimaginable
I spend hours in the garden I walk alone to the store And it's quiet uptown I never liked the quiet before I take the children to church on Sunday A sign of the cross at the door And I pray That never used to happen before
If you see him in the street Walking by himself, talking to himself, have pity Philip, you would like it uptown, it's quiet uptown He is working through the unimaginable
His hair has gone grey He passes every day They say he walks the length of the city You knock me out, I fall apart Can you imagine?
Look at where we are Look at where we started I know I don't deserve you, Eliza But hear me out That would be enough If I could spare his life If I could trade his life for mine He'd be standing here right now And you would smile and that would be enough
I don't pretend to know The challenges we're facing I know there's no replacing what we've lost And you need time But I'm not afraid I know who I married Just let me stay here by your side That would be enough
If you see him in the street Walking by her side, talking by her side, have pity Eliza, do you like it uptown? It's quiet uptown He is trying to do the unimaginable
See them walking in the park, long after dark Taking in the sights of the city Look around, look around, Eliza They are tryna do the unimaginable
There are moments that the words don't reach There's a grace too powerful to name We push away what we can never understand We push away the unimaginable
They are standing in the garden Alexander by Eliza's side She takes his hand It's quiet uptown
Forgiveness, can you imagine? Forgiveness, can you imagine?
If you see him in the street Walking by her side, talking by her side, have pity They are going through the unimaginable
Please be kind.
Hope and light lives within us all.
xoxo
Joyce
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“I don’t understand it any more than you do, but one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to understand things for them to be.” ― Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time
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For inquiries please email, illuminatedsoul6@gmail.com
I have been providing readings for over five years and have studied/mentored with Rita Berkowitz, Mavis Pittilla, and Jo Petrie.
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