Foo Fighters – Next Year – Skin and Bones

I’ve got three-quarters of the way through my year in Taiwan, August 2006 to August 2007. It’s been a funny year really, funny in the sense of “it’s a funny old world”, not funny-hahah. This is another song I got from Donkey when I downloaded all of his ipod shuffle into my ipod, and that seems kind of suiting as Donkey is one of the most amazing people I’ve met here in Taiwan. Taiwan has been good in many ways — obviously my Chinese has improved so much, which is reason enough alone to make it worth coming here — and I’ve met some brilliant people. Made some important friends, ones who I hope I will never lose or at least never forget.

But it’s been a year of emotional turmoil as well. It took me a long time to get over S (well I’m 95% over him, anyway) and I only really moved on when I met DD. But after going to Europe in May/June for a holiday, the return has been kind of brutal. I had a wonderful time, in London with my friends from university, in Cahors with my family, and in Paris. I miss Europe a lot. And then the minute I set foot in Taiwan, literally, DD and I broke up. I’ve had a tough week and in a way, it’s been a tough year.

I’ve used various “coping strategies” which could also be qualified as self-harm… refusing to eat, drugs, cigarettes and alcohol, sleep deprivation or staying in bed for days on end. I had a really bad comedown from acid which found me cutting myself in a park at 11pm on Christmas Eve, and I had a few weekends spent curled up in a k-hole which allowed me to escape everything and rendered the pain non-existant.

And all those plane flights… I’ve been taking so many planes, planes taking me away from people I love and want to stay with, my own choice, but with the promise that I’ll return some day…

So when this popped up randomly on itunes last night, I was overwhelmed. It combined exactly how I felt, with exactly what I needed to hear. Foo Fighters are not exactly what I would call a fabulously talented or original band, although I attach hold a lot of affection for them, for reasons I will probably write about another day. But they were just right, and a great spirit booster without holding any fake sunshine cheerfulness which would sound wrong in this moment.

I’m in the sky tonight
There I can keep by your side
Watching the wide world riot and hiding out
I’ll be coming home next year

Into the sun we climb
Climbing our wings will burn white
Everyone strapped in tight
We’ll ride it out
I’ll be coming home next year

Come on get on get on
Take it till life runs out
No one can find us now
Living with our heads underground

Into the night we shine
Lighting the way we glide by
Catch me if I get too high
And I go down
I’ll be coming home next year

I’m in the sky tonight
There I can keep by your side
Watching the whole world wind around and round
I’ll be coming home next year

Come on get on get on
Take it till life runs out
No one can find us now
Living with our heads underground

I’ll be coming home next year
I’ll be coming home next year
Everything’s alright up here
If I go down
I’ll be coming home next year
Say good-bye now
Say good-bye now
Say good-bye now
Say good-bye now
I’ll be coming home next year
I’ll be coming home next year
Everything’s alright up here
If I come down
I’ll be coming home next year
I’ll be coming home next year

~ by orange on June 18, 2007.