Uit eigen ervaring weet ik hoe belangrijk muziek kan zijn als je last hebt van angsten & depressieve gevoelens. De Zweedse componist, tekstschrijver & zanger Anders Edenroth schreef er een schitterend, maar ook complex lied over met It Becomes Her.

Hij zegt er zelf het volgende over: “A friend of mine asked me to write a song that described how music reduced her depression and anxiety. Others who suffered like her might be strengthened when listening to the song, she reasoned. I received an extensive mail where she explained how she felt when she was caught in despair and how music could liberate her. Maria’s words became a poem and a song.”

Het nummer wordt hier acapella gezongen door de Zweedse vocale groep The Real Group, die Edenroth mede oprichtte en waarin hij zong van 1984 tot 2021.

It Becomes Her
I know this girl, her name is Maria.
She really wears the most beautiful smile.
Could it be that glitter in her eyes?
I can’t say, but it becomes her.

A friend of mine for quite a few years now.
Maria’s messages keep coming in,
asking “How’s your family, your life?”
So concerned, and it becomes her.

Sharp against those heavy skies.
Barbwire in a black and white shot.
Like an image of perpetual pain,
that ties me down knot by knot.

Hard against my naked skin.
Barbwire on an infinite fence.
On the days when all my tears run dry,
I focus through a frozen lens.

You keep me warm for a little while.
You keep my flowers fresh with water.
You keep my eyes on a bird in flight.
Oh music, can I keep you forever?

Some days are good, she tells me, Maria
A job to do, perhaps meeting a friend.
Dares to post an Instagram smile,
almost true, still it becomes her.

Relieve my pain!
Maria keeps praying,
“Where’s hope and harmony,
where’s my relief?”
Thinks out loud,
“Could anyone compose me a song?”
One that becomes me.

Fast around, in total craze.
Tumble driers make an insane sound.
Oh Twisting, turning every part of my brain,
I ride a nightmare merry-go-round
And around, and around.

Strong around my whirlwind soul.
Tumble driers form a cage of distress.
I’m confined in a dispassionate void.
A vacuum world of soundlessness.

You keep me warm for a little while.
You keep my flowers fresh with water.
You keep my eyes on a bird in flight.
Oh music, can I keep you forever?

You keep me safe for a minute more.
You keep my sun from setting too soon.
You keep my world in a melody.
Oh music, can I keep you forever?

I know this girl, her name is Maria.