The above title is an oft misquoted line from the pen of British playwright William Congreve, in his tragedy in five acts, titled The Mourning Bride, written produced, and published in 1697. A variation of this title is sometimes stated, “Music tames the savage beast.” Regardless, of which version is used, there is much merit in what is in the words credited to Mr. Congreve.

I often use song lines or lyrics in trying to make a point, give advice, or help others try and understand something, or deal with a problem. I enjoy music a lot. I enjoy many genres of music, and some I do not care for much at all. Some music, it took me a while to really listen to it more than I had done before, and many times I found I liked it. I really wasn’t into Classical music until daughter Chasity took an interest in playing the violin and joining the orchestra in Middle and High School. She also played with J.O.Y, the Jamestown Orchestra of Youth, so I got to hear much Classical music while she participated in these groups. I’m not sure I really disliked it before her involvement, I just didn’t listen to it much, but after Chas started playing and practicing so much at home, I began liking it a lot. Many times, the groups with whom she played, performed one particular piece, that, to this day, whenever I hear any version of it, it bridges the 629.5 mile distance between Chasy’s Tennessee home, and our Jamestown home. Whenever it’s played, no matter how many times, even in a recent Amazon commercial, I still get goosebumps, sometimes a tear in my eye, thinking of how proud I was, and am, of my oldest child. Hearing the Pachelbel Canon, always reminds me so much of her, and for the few minutes it plays, she’s sitting right next to me, regardless of the miles between us.

I like many genres from the music world now, going back to the styles and songs of Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Jr, Big Bands, through Rock and Roll, Soft Rock, some Hard Rock, some Blues, some Country and Western, whatever genre of music Jimmy Buffett fits into, vocal and instrumental movie soundtracks, bands and orchestras, Jazz, Broadway and Movie Show Tunes, even certain selected Hip-Hop offerings. Can’t say the same about the genre of music at Halftime of this past NFL Super Bowl. Haven’t been able to get into that style of music, though many of the artists are very talented in how they perform it. I have listened to it enough though, to know that I don’t really care for it, but that’s okay.

I use lyrics of a lot of music in many situations I am, and have been, in during my life. There’ve been, and are always, songs that just are soothing and sometimes can be listened to just to calm us down at hectic times in our day. Sometimes music just lets us escape things that may be angering or frustrating us, but if we listen closely to some of the words in the songs with which we’re singing along, we may find some advice, or some avenue to take which might help us, or that we can add to our own personal philosophy.

I used songs and lyrics in my classrooms throughout my career to help students think, cope, understand, motivate, and feel, as they dealt with things in their lives. I did the same with many teams I coached, sometimes taking a lyric here, there, typing them up and adding them to the “Food for Thought” part of playbooks I used from about the halfway to the end of my coaching tenure.

As many who are regular readers of the Voice from the Bullpen can attest, I often use song snippets, sometimes full song lyrics to maybe motivate, make readers think, maybe give us a way to cope with something, or even bring back a memory that can make us smile and let us mentally spend time with someone in that memory for just a bit once more.

And there are times we can use music just to drown out the rest of the world, when we just need to be alone. That’s when we can turn up the volume, just listen, or maybe even join the artist, mentally putting ourselves on a stage somewhere far away from what might be bugging us in the real world at a particular time.

“Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.” “Music tames the savage beast.” Music is peace, medicine, therapy, religion. Its gentle, soothing, loving. Music is escape. Music is a lifeline, and often the lyrics add to the blueprint of our life.

So, take time to close your eyes, hear the music, and listen carefully to the words. It’ll be time very well spent.