Listening to our own song lyrics
There I was, banging out the lyrics to one of Australia’s iconic songs, ‘Cheap Wine’ by Jimmy Barnes, alongside some friends one night. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it goes something like “Cheap wine and a three da-aayy growth”. But I stopped half way through the chorus when I heard my friends’ pants-wetting laughter at MY version of the lyrics that instead went: “Cheap wine and a three-headed goat”.
Ok, ok, laugh if you must. I have to admit, in between the heckling, I was also close to falling over in the street, with tears streaming down my face, at what is clearly a ludicrous version of a song lyric. But it was one that I had been repeating for at least 15-20 years in countless bars and pubs (I mean, who can honestly understand what Barnesy is screeching about at the best of times!?).
Then there came Sade’s “Smooth Operator”, or as I have historically preferred to sing, “Oooh Carburetor” (as in a car engine. Yes. I think I have paid unnecessary homage to my inner rev-head over the years. And may need my hearing checked).
We all hear accurately because it's coming from our own ears. We think we are hearing the right words as they are spoken... But then someone points out there are different words. So we listen again... And sure enough, when I listen to that Jimmy Barnes song now, I can clearly hear those OTHER (accurate) words, not my previous long-standing (very funny but very inaccurate) version.
An extension of this is hearing what others say, or what we say to ourselves. We hear what we want to; what we believe to be true. But we must always be prepared to be told there's another version of truth. There's another perspective. Sometimes we just need someone else to offer up new words and convince us to lean in and listen a little harder.
There are always going to messages we hear that say: ‘I’m not good enough. I’m not worthy. I can't’. The song is playing, and the lyrics (so we think) are clear and accurate. But if we take another listen, and adjust the tone, we might just instead start to hear: ‘I deserve it. I am worthy. I can’.
