Town

The final line of Richard Buckner's song "Town" is a question that I have never directly encountered before: "What will you miss when things are fine?" Strangely, I feel that this question is one that has tugged at my thoughts for quite awhile. Understood rhetorically, the question serves the purpose of prompting further questions. What does it mean to be "fine?" Does being fine require one to miss someone or something, or are you only fine once you cease to miss anything?
     I feel that the subtext of the question suggests a satisfaction or necessity in the feeling of missing someone/something. In some way, we like to miss things. That familiar aching pulse that spreads through our stomachs, though painful, is something we crave. The feeling is a mark of value, a reminder that we care for or about someone or something; it's a way to hold on to the irretrievable and intangible.

So, if there had to be an answer to the question, "What will you miss when things are fine?", I would say: "Lots."

There is much more to say about Buckner's question, so this post will serve simply as a starting point.

Here's a restrained and beautiful performance of Buckner's "Town" to make things better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFbnjsUcZ-M