What’s to be done
On a day when spring is here
But the warmth won’t come
What’s to be done
When I sit in my usual writing spot
But the words don’t come
What’s to be done
With twenty thousand ideas all trying to get out
But I capture none
What’s to be done
When it’s time to make something of myself
Yet I’m feeling numb
How does one go about picking up the pieces
Of an exploded universe?
How does one go about building a city
Between the mountains of blessing and curse?
What’s to be done
Forty years down the road
And the race is not yet run
What’s to be done
When the one you consider the love of your life
Says she needs to be re-wooed and re-won
What’s to be done
When she reinvents herself so blatantly
In front of everyone
What’s to be done
When it’s the end of the world as I know it
And I feel stunned
How does one go about picking up the pieces
Of an exploded universe?
How does one go about shifting into high gear
When every setting is reverse?
How does one go about marshaling forces
When all the armies have dispersed?
And how does one go about finding a new place
In an exploded universe?
Ooh, thunder and rain
Something to ease the pain
Tornadoes and hurricanes
Something to keep my mind off the pain
It wasn’t supposed to end like this
It was supposed to be the highest heights, not the deepest abyss
What can I tell you, dear G-d in heaven
It was supposed to be forever, not eighteen and seven
What’s to be done
When the summer heatwave won’t quit
And everything withers in the sun
What’s to be done
When you get to do all you want
But none of it seems fun
What’s to be done
When all the memories seep in
After all that’s come and gone
What’s to be done
When all you want to do is shut it off
But it’s all very much still on
And how does one seek and find some sense of comfort
When the levels have sunk from bad to worse?
How does one find completion in a chorus
When not all has been finished in verse?
How can one take over the world with music
When the band isn’t even slightly rehearsed?
And how can I go about picking up the pieces
Of my exploded universe?
©2023 The Hesh Inc.
These lyrics date back to the summer of 2006, not long after I returned to the Jersey Shore in the wake of my second divorce. I was trying to pick my life up and get it back together after one of the largest cataclysms I had experienced to date. It was extremely difficult to go back to the actual part of the world where my newly minted ex-wife and I had such a history prior to our moving to Los Angeles, and it seemed that every time I passed another tree or rock or beach view, there was another piece of our history to go along with it. These circumstances really hampered any attempt I made to get back into the Jersey Shore's music scene, and I ultimately moved away in October 2008.
The music to this song has something of a blues-waltz rhythm, similar to several other songs I have written and performed. Some of Peter Himmelman's work echoed in the back of my mind as I noodled on the piano to come up with the music. I had thought to include this on a projected album about my post-divorce travails, but I thought the better of the inclusion and the album. I may yet perform it if the situation is right, but in general, I'm trying to steer away from focusing on songs about exes ... except, perhaps, in this forum.