Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

Thanks once again to John Mayer for giving phrase to the feelings that most of us have felt many, many times.

In his song (album Continuum) entitled Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, he sings of a relationship in the home stretch of over, “not the storm before the calm, this is the deep and dying breath of this love that we been working on” . He knows that the relationship is over and he knows that rapidly approaching is the time in which they will have to let go (“we’re going down and you can see it too. We’re going down and you know that we’re doomed”). What a beautiful phrase…”slow dancing in a burning room”. Isn’t that exactly how it feels? You are trying to cling on to that last tidbit of what you have, and as you do so, so quickly the world around you is burning down.

When it seems so right and then it is over is when it hurts the most. He says “I was the one you always dreamed of, you were the one I used to draw. How dare you say it’s nothing to me, baby you’re the only light I ever saw. I make the most of all the sadness, you’ll be a bitch because you can. You try to hit me just to hurt me so you leave me feeling dirty ‘cause you can’t understand.” It is especially hard when one person can foresee this demise and the other can’t. It is really gut wrenching. It is the most helpless feeling really. What are you supposed to do, beg that person to stay in a relationship that is not working? That is what I did TWICE, and I can promise that doesn’t work.

“Don’t you think we ought to know by now, don’t you think we should have learned somehow?” It is at that point where the damage is done and it is irreversible that we see the things we should have and could have done. The end holds the value of hindsight and most times, it is clear as crystal.

It is really an amazing way of describing the feeling. What amazes me is how others can feel this emotion and express it in the most perfect way. Thanks to you John Mayer for once again blessing my life with the ability to beautifully express such a powerful feeling.