Story Behind the Song
I will be posting different stories behind the song from time to time. Please check back once in a while for the latest. Many of my lyrics are inspired from books I read and people I meet. Be careful what you say to me; you may end up in a song!
"Drifting Days"
After sending a recording to Nien Cheng, I had the incredible privilege of performing 'Drifting Days' for her. She is as wonderful in person as she comes across in her book. I highly recommend Life and Death in Shanghai. |
'Drifting Days' came from reading Life and Death in Shanghai, by Nien Cheng.
(Grove Press, 1987) This book is the author's autobiographical account of her
imprisonment in solitary confinement from 1966-72 during China's Cultural
Revolution. In her moving and beautifully written work Ms. Cheng describes
how she kept herself going throughout her ordeal. She developed an ability to
find inspiration from events that would be passed over in ordinary
circumstances. One day she noticed a small spider in her prison cell, and it
became an important companion to her. 'Drifting Days' is a song to the
spider.
