I began to pen the lyrics to “Dust and the Ashes” after feeling compassion for all of those fighting the California Wildfires. My view from Pennsylvania left me hopeless in my endeavors to do anything for the people of California dealing with this terrible, ongoing apprehension. While drafting, I realized that many of us are facing battles in our own lives every day; the lyrics became a synthesis between the struggles of the inhabitants of those scorched areas, the firefighters, and all of us dealing with adversity in our day-to-day lives.
You are in a battle! Whether you are the smoke jumper I intended these lyrics to pump up initially, a Ukrainian soldier surrounded, a single-mom trying to make it, or someone fighting to close the door on a demon, we need to not only slay the dragon, but sweep-up the dust and the ashes and throw them away. If we don’t, the remembrance of dark times and tribulations will forever obstruct our paths towards happiness.
