“Somewhere North” by Caedmon’s Call

It’s a muggy night in Houston
And all the intersections are
Like full serve stations
And I’m on my way to a familiar place

It’s cold in Kansas City
And you can no more hear me
Than I can see your face
And how I wish it was just you and me

We wouldn’t have to talk above the crowd
We wouldn’t have to talk so loud

Yes, I give you my life and all I am
But what have I to give so I
Hand you a candid photograph
Of this little boy cause I
Have nothing to my name
But I can give you that

See I don’t miss the driving
Seems like forever, and
I’m always driving in my mind
I’m wearing out the road that gets me there

I’m driving till my eyes just can’t see straight
But I suppose it is getting late

Yes, I give you my life and all I am
But what have I to give so I
Hand you a candid photograph
Of this little boy cause I’ve
Got nothing to my name
And I can give you that

See I may never find the sleep
I’ve lost all feeling in my hands
And feet may touch the ground
But my mind’s somewhere north of here

Cause I give you my life and all I am
So what have I to give so I
Hand you a candid photograph
of this little boy
Cause I have nothing to my name
I’ve got nothing to my name
But I can give you that
And I will give you that

Dear God, first, I don’t think there is much here that is theological, but there is a ton here that is completely human. And if I consider the idea that you gave us all of these emotions and help us to sort through them then it makes this song as relevant as any I’ve done on this album.

I wanted to see if I could find any comments by the author or band about this song, and I found this comment by just a person who loves the song:

I love this song. The way Derek’s voice cracks and soars lends itself beautifully to the heart-wrenching sentiment in these lyrics. “We wouldn’t have to talk above the crowd / We wouldn’t have to talk so loud…” This will be my song until I find that person. “I’m always driving in my mind, and wearing out the road…”

Yeah, good music taps into nerves like this. I’ve been happily in a relationship for over 30 years now, but I remember this pain before I met my wife. I remember looking for that Eve to my Adam. I remember these feelings. And I’ve felt them in other ways since then. I’ve felt them when I was unemployed and looking for that next job. I’ve felt them when I was estranged from my children.

Father, thank you for the answered prayers in my life. Thank you for what you’re doing that I can and cannot see. Thank you for peace. I pray for those I love to find this peace as well. Heal our wounds. Make our pain count and use it to bring all of us closer to you regardless of our situations.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen