And on to the next in the "Story Behind The Song" series, track 2 "Sysyphus Situation".  Musically this one came together quite well and didn't undergo any significant changes in the final recording and mixing stage.  I think the only sticking point was the ending and for quite a while I wasn't sure how to bring it to a close.  One day as I was editing I made some cuts at the end that seemed kind of abrupt but when I played it back it sounded kind of cool.  I wasn't sure I would keep it this way but I did and I think it was the right move.

As far as the lyrics there isn't too much to say.  Most of the music had already been created before I started thinking of a name or words and as I was listening to it the feeling of an up and down motion became apparent.  Anyone even a bit familiar with Greek mythology will know who Sysyphus was, the one who was condemned for eternity to push a rock up a hill only to have it roll back down every time so he would have to start again.  Parallels in everyday life are plenty and sometimes it's hard not to feel that no matter how hard we try to achieve something and get closer to some sort of grand state of satisfaction and contentment, the whole process is basically an exercise in futility and cannot be achieved.  But I also wanted to convey a bit more than some idea that life is hopeless.  I think there has to be some level of acceptance, that there are simply things that we cannot change and if we can accept that then maybe there is hope for some kind of happiness.  I am not really a religious person but there is a poem from Reinhold Niebuhr that I find good to remember when things seem futile and hopeless and I think it is the unsung sentiment in Sysyphus Situation...

The Serenity Prayer
God,
Grant me the serenity;
To accept the things I cannot change;
The courage, to change the things I can;
And the wisdom, to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next.
Amen