#10 "Awesome" by Satellite Party

Most people know Perry Farrell as the hyper-kinetic frontman of Jane's Addiction or the influential creator of Lollapalooza. At times he comes off as some kind of dread-locked, scary-eyed freak, but if you ever read an interview with him you'll see that he is incredibly intelligent, articulate, and profound.

"Awesome" is a song that Farrell wrote in honor of the birth of his son. It is without a doubt the most beautiful celebration of fatherhood that I've ever heard. The lyrics are fairly simple, but honestly... how do you put this kind of thing into words? He talks about the joy and mystery of his child and how "awesome" a thing he is to see and be with. You hear Farrell singing about reading a book with his boy and there's this great line where he says, "If I seem silent I'm just thanking someone far away for you." I've had those kinds of out-of-body experiences with my own sons where in the midst of doing something with them, I kind of pull away and think, "This is just unbelievable." The song captures that same notion.

The line that always chokes me up comes near the very end. It's just a simple "Picture what you and I can do" but it gets me every time. It's getting me now as I write this. It reminds me of the infinite possibilities that lay before your child, but how important YOU as the parent are to that. The cool thing, though, is that the greater your involvement the greater your reward. I'm always amazed at how much my boys absorb. Sometimes I think that had I tried teaching them about physics when they were two, they could've easily gotten it. You see little kids speaking multiple languages all the time. You see children who seem to be gifted prodigies in the arts well ahead of their age. Is it because they possess something internally that the average child doesn't have or is it because they were given some things, like love and attention, that too many children do without?

Picture what you and your child can do. It is limitless.

"Awesome" can be found on the album "Ultra Payloaded." To hear the song, click on the icon in the widget jukebox along the side of the blog.