Thank you, sorry
What’s a song you’d want to hear on your birthday?
The song I’ve chosen for my birthday is the same one that the Swedish monk and lecturer Björn Natthiko Lindeblad mentioned when he spoke about his approaching death.
That might sound contradictory, but I don’t think it is. Quite the opposite, actually.
The song captures something that’s neither birth nor death, but somehow also both. Something we’re often in touch with early in life and again towards the end, but sadly tend to overlook during the long stretch in between:
Life
That’s all we have. This moment, right here, right now.
Life isn’t the opposite of death. Birth is. Life, in its essence, is the constant that makes everything possible. If we go through life without ever really acknowledging that, life slips past us - no matter how old we get.
When we’re stuck in the past or lost in the future, the title of Laleh’s song is a gentle reminder to return to the now. “Tack Förlåt” means “Thank you, sorry” in Swedish. It’s a quiet wake-up call. A way to accept what is - here and now.
Part of the lyrics, translated to English:
Have you heard what we’re saying?
Time doesn’t heal all wounds
And everyone knows that the world just keeps spinning
But the world stops with thank you sorry
Check out my Crucial Tracks playlist or Crucial Tracks profile to see (and listen to) all of my “today’s track” picks.