From the recording Learn To Live Again
In reflecting on my previous travels, I began to remember some of the imperfections and subtleties that I had forgotten over time. For instance, my first trip to Rome was soundtracked not by Italian accents, but by accents from all over the world. I found myself fighting the urge to listen in on their conversations, in the hope of finding great stories to pass on to my friends back home.
Lyrics
Roaming in Rome on a winter’s day
Thought I heard something familiar
A dialect I’ve heard somewhere before
Another traveller on his way
Still his presence seemed peculiar
The notes he’s singing don’t quite match the written score
I never expected to be here now
Painting a picture but don’t know how
To brush off the people passing by
I’m having a hard time taking it in
Like a song, I don’t know where to begin
Wanna hear everybody’s story
Wanna hear everybody’s story
I’m having a hard time trying to ignore
The voices and tales I’ve heard before
If I hear everybody’s story
If I hear everybody’s story
I’ll forget to write a story of my own
So many miles away from home
Shuffling through the ancient history
And I’m sharing it with strangers from afar
Silent statues carved in stone
Standing out amongst the greenery
Still, I hear them, and it all seems so bizarre
I couldn’t be anywhere else today
But I can’t find the words to say
If you were here, then you’d hear why
I’d be standing around in the courtyard wasting time
Using every part of my body except my mind
Here and now, there’s only so much I can comprehend
Taking off my shades, ‘cause I might not be here again
But those voices and tales I’ve all heard before
They’re no indication of what’s in store
If I hear everybody’s story
I’ll forget to write a story of my own