Everyone knows that music can change a mood, and usually for the better! When I play my harp for patients at Stanford Hospital, often I am told that the music made a big difference to their day – lifting them out of the moment into a better space. And this doesn’t only work for people who are suffering physical pain – how many times have you been in a sad or bad mood, and then heard a song or a tune that made you smile and forget what you were upset about?
One patient I will never forget told me when I saw her
after her surgery that when I had played for her just before her operation, she
still heard the song as she was going under anesthesia, and it relaxed her and
made her feel that everything would be fine. No, the music didn’t cure her – she
needed the surgery, of course! The music can’t cure the body, but it can cure the
emotional state and the anxiety level. It can lower (or raise) blood pressure, heart rate, respiration -- all physical things that can
Even before I began playing in the hospital setting, and as far back as my teen years, I had felt that music was important in my own attitude adjustments and made sure to have music to listen to and to play that made me feel better, more positive, more relaxed – all the things that would help me function and not sink into sadness. I wrote a song about it in 1998 called “Watch Your Blues Fade Away.” This was before I started playing harp, so it was composed on guitar.
I recently started playing at Open Mics in my area, and I usually bring the harp, but this song needs guitar, so I showed up with my guitar and joked, “You probably don’t recognize me without a harp in front of me…” Here is my recent Open Mic performance of Watch Your Blues Fade Away:
You can listen to Watch Your Blues Fade Away on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5W6WeLJ2R6eu07oD8gzQXY?si=52a94d5db26e47c3
You can also find it on Apple Music or Pandora.
And here are the lyrics so you can sing along!
Watch Your Blues Fade Away
© 1998 Verlene
Schermer
Music is a sure cure for
sadness
Music lifts you up above your
day
Try list’ning to some bright
tune
And watch your blues fade away
Music gets inside and
delights you
You breathe out a warm,
“won’t you stay
Now that you’ve come, such
freedom!”
So watch your blues fade away
Music lovingly reassures you
Yours are not the only clouds
that are gray
And soon there’ll be sun
shining
So watch your blues fade away
La musica cura toda la
tristeza
La musica levanta la ansiedad
Escucha esta melodia alegre
Mira desvanecer la
infelicidad
Music is a sure cure for
sadness
Music lifts you up above your
day
What are some of the songs and tunes that always lift your spirits?
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