Clouds (The Song): Meaning and Background

I paint for you a picture of my heart with a guitar and a melody.

Lyrics

I am on a stage
You are in the crowd
Marlboro reds burned all the way down
In the midst of the noise and perfume
The Muse is there to guide me through
(I call out to her and say)

Clouds that's where my head is
When I'm with you all I can do is just dream
Clouds baby you take me there
When I'm with you all I can do is just dream

Take me to forever by your chariot of air
Majestically guide me through this world, through this world unknown
Swimming in your wake, take me to your lair
Walls through gods lips, through gods lips blown

Composition

The writing of this song was very unusual. I actually wrote it in reverse. The last verse was written on the plane that brought me back to the United States from Spain last summer. These are the words that came to me from looking out the window at the incredible world of the Clouds. The clouds were so fantastic that it seemed almost disrespectful not to write something about them.

The rhythm and chorus of the song just kind of came to me in the shower at home subsequent to my trip to Spain. The blues type nature of the song really turned me on because of the awesome opportunity to lay some lead guitar over it. I'm not the best lead guitarist, but it is fun to try. Plus, I have found that you can't do anything until you just start doing it. Improvement is made along the way. I love this little tune.

The first verse is what came to me last. The only thing the song needed was a setting and a purpose. This verse gave it both of those things.

Meaning

Clouds has become my mantra. Over the last six months, I have realized how important creativity is to my happiness. Creation is the life-blood of this existence and steps are being taken for me to make it the focal point of my life. Upon recognition of this, I decided to start reading up on creativity and the creative process. Throughout a string of books, a universal idea continued to show its face. The idea of a power source for creativity exists and has always existed. The Greeks believed in the Muse. The Muse were a group of nine sisters who also happened to be goddesses  They are the offspring of Zeus, the mightiest of all the gods. They were believed to be the source of creativity. The Muse were the inspiration that every artist strives to find.

For Clouds, the song is being sung to the Muse. It is a cry out to that creative spark and source. For me, this song is about recognizing that there is something greater that gives me the ability to feel the flow of creation come out of me and into the world. It is never mine, and it never stays long. The Muse represent the universal consciousness. The overlying thing that keeps this world moving forward; that which causes our existence to be perfect. That thing is the source of my creativity, and this song is my way of attempting to repay it for the gift.