Musical Influences

Stairway to Heaven or Highway to hell?

Led Zeppelin’s famous ‘Stairway to heaven’ and AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ are not merely two World-famous songs but also the two paths a person can take in life, especially in the influence of music. The music industry is full of artists of different genres from pop, punk to death metal. Each one of them competing against each other to create that one song that would top the billboard charts for days and bring them even more fame.

Apart from the glitz and glam of this industry, there is also a very ugly side to it. My father recently expressed to me his dislike for people who ‘find it cool to indulge in smoking, drinking and doing drugs just because their favourite musicians are doing it’ There have been famous rock stars like Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley, Iggy Pop who have penned down influential lyrics for the World to remember. But what about their self image? It’s a shame that they carried themselves in a self-destructive, wretched and miserable manner. But instead of being despicable, this image has become ‘cool’ for today’s youth. Recently the famous pop-star Miley Cyrus ditched her innocent avatar of Hannah Montana by giving a raunchy live performance and by producing two objectionable music videos. I can’t imagine what a huge influence that would have made on millions of her fans around the World, most of them being tween and teen girls. With today’s fast-paced and internet-based World, access to an uncensored song is just a click away. Children have musicians as their role models and a little carelessness on the musician’s part can have a huge effect on their minds and their demeanours.

Music is highly influential and can be used as a medium for protesting against wrongdoings and dealing with problems instead of using it in a negative way which can corrupt the listener’s thought process and thus influence one’s life. Like Jimi Hendrix said ‘Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.’ Listening to powerfully positive music really brings a change in the character of a person and the kind of music you listen defines the kind of life you live. So it’s up to you, if you want to take the Stairway to heaven? Or The Highway to Hell?

The Clarion Call

Here comes the time again,

The country's in turmoil,

Pool of black money,

Spilling out of embezzler's mine

What dread is this?

Why are the fishes choking?

What tyranny is this?

In tears the innocent soaking

Stir countrymen! Don't drift with the wind,

Hold your flag as tight as you can,

Follow the riot, commence the uproar,

Make them run-away, the corrupt clad in gore

Hanging by the threads, is the great leader,

Reigned by the hands of the sly people,

Our lives are a puppet show,

O, wake up now -you weeper 

Magwitch

 Old and frail, 

 His feet dangling with chain,

Groaning and moaning,

To free himself but in vain

Curls his fingers, eats his lips,

Clears his eyes, off the tears of pain that kills,

Brushes his brow from precipitation,

Works on the knots, that cut his wrists in frustration

'Help!' he cries towards the pin-point light,

Coming from the crack of the wooden house wide,

'Please help me!' he calls out to the air uncared,

Shattered he feels helpless and scared

Where have they brought him?

Those men with armed weapons,

Locked him inside for the crime,

Of stealing bread for his children

He shuts his eyes,

Anger melting to fear inside,

If they die those little children,

He would burn himself alive and kindle

Woolgathering

Of extraordinary things I dream,
From sunshine till twilight,
Colorful things, humans with wings,
Woolgathering till eyes shut tight


Bizarre and unusual daydreaming is,
Of anything far from reality,
Mother scolds, father growls,
Holler to keep away from fantasy


"Come to real World" she says,
Where hardworking, pain and rush resides,
"Keep away from reverie" he says,
I cry and shut my eyes


Is fantasy an evil word?
So, why are books so famous?
If stories were based on realities,
They wont have any status!


There are princesses, vampires, dragons,
All kinds in the fantasy world,
Only once I close my eyes,
It takes a moment to escape to that world


From the time I've learnt to read,
Books of faraway lands and people,
Word by word I imagined and felt free,
Were always appealing to me


My life is a fairy tale,
Never to destroy or fail,
I may not be worth human right now,
But imagination would take me to the peak, somehow. 

An extract from The Assassin-Rebirth Version

“Hark, Get out of the way!” he screeched at me while I tried to protect the purple clothed Assassin. I didn’t know why I was doing this, saving the man who had murdered my own mother. I could picture him, the same as right now, with the same fury and speed, rushing towards my mother and taking out that loathed weapon, which had shedded many bloods till now, which had drenched in every possible man’s blood, being pushed over my mother’s body, and killing her.  Agony ripped apart me again, filling me with anger and tears.

But there he was, this man who I was saving from Ash’s attack. I figured out that I was not in my senses, and maybe deep lost in a nightmare. Yes. I don’t call these things Dreams. Nightmare is a better word.

“Have you gone crazy Hark? He’s the one who killed your mother!” I was taken back to the reality with Ash’s bellow.

And seconds later, he whipped a knife from his back pocket and threw it in a boomerang style towards the Assassin. A moment passed, and then I lunged towards the Assassin, and came in between him and the knife. And then it hit me. The pain was devasting and I hoped I would die than suffer this pain.

And then it was over, I could feel muffled footsteps running towards me as I was thrown to the ground with my back, the place where the knife had stabbed me. I searched for Ash through my eyes that were now on the verge of shutting off. I saw The Assassin, looking towards me, with huge intent and shocked eyes. The Eyes! I had seen them somewhere. I gasped and then after half a second, I was drifted to silence. 

The Beautiful Bride!

Soft Music, Flowers divine,

Dressed in white, she was now mine,

She looked at me with a hint of smile,

Carrying the scent of roses white.

My heart skipped a beat on seeing such beauty,

Adorned by an overflowing gown so pretty,

With a tiara embedded with sapphire blue,

What made her so beautiful I never knew?

She walked towards me with affection,

Laughed at my dismayed expression,

The crowd gasped with joy and shock,

To see such a bride beauty-locked.

When the ceremony was yet to finish,

And golden words were ready to perish,

“I do” she said in a voice so fine,

I smiled and sighed she was now mine.

The Assassin

“Hark! Get out of the way!” he screeched at me while I tried to protect the assassin. I dint know why I was doing this. Saving the man who had murdered my own mother. “No! Ash No! Don’t harm him! Please I beg you!” I shouted at my friend. “Have you gone crazy Hark? He’s the one who killed your mother!” he shouted back and seconds later a green flash came out of his hand and was directed to the assassin who suddenly stood still, terrified. Wasting no time I rushed towards the man, took a jump and came in between him and the spell. I closed my eyes and it came over to me. In half a second it hit me. I let out a cry and was thrown into the ground. Everything around me blurred and the last picture I saw was the eyes of the man staring and me. The eyes! I had seen them somewhere. And then I closed my eyes and drifted in silence.

“Will he be alright?” someone muttered. “I don’t know I hope so. That spell is very powerful, if he survives then surely he’s a powerful man. It was Ash talking to someone whose voice I couldn’t recognize, I wondered where I was, suddenly it came back to me. Everything that had happened. I realized I must have had fainted. That spell was too powerful. How much time has passed or how many days have gone by from that day the accident happened. Have they killed him? No! I remembered that last thing I had seen that day. His eyes! It was someone I knew! I have seen those eyes, but I couldn’t figure out where? “Oh! Hark! Wake up man!” Ash suddenly called out. “I’m awake Ash” I tried to reply, But words left my mouth.