"Mouth of a Shadow" by Kevin Hearn

Mouth of a Shadow
by Kevin Hearn

Doing what it does so well
I can hear the old church bell
Each day has a number now
It’s singing low

Water soon will turn to steam
Bees are buzzing in my dream
Suddenly the garden seems
So far away

“Don’t give in” they’ll say
There’s nowhere to run anyway
I have decided to stay

And take on the shadow that darkens the day
Take on the mountain that stands in the way
In the mouth of a shadow
In the mouth of a shadow
In the mouth of a shadow
In the eye of a storm

Winter still defends itself
But one day all this ice will melt
I will take your bony hand
And move along

“Don’t give in” they’ll say
There’s nowhere to run anyway
I have decided to stay

Take on the shadow that darkens the day
Take on the mountain that stands in the way
In the mouth of a shadow
In the mouth of a shadow
In the mouth of a shadow
In the eye of a storm

In the mouth of a shadow
In the mouth of a shadow
In the mouth of a shadow
In the eye of a storm

Kevin Hearn is the pianist for one of my favorite musical groups, The Barenaked Ladies. I like the band for their versatility and ability to transcend genre, writing dozens of songs that sound completely different from one another. In 1998, Hearn was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, and took a leave of absence from the band to undergo. During this time, he continued writing songs about his experience fighting cancer. By 1999, his cancer was in remission, and he released a solo album called H-Wing (named for his hospital wing).

As a cancer survivor myself, I deeply respect Kevin for having survived and defeated this terrible illness. When I was hospitalized in 2006, aside from the love and support of my family and my fiancee Allison, one of the most important factors that got me through it was my own version of art therapy. Like Kevin, I tried to use my creativity to cope with my illness, confronting many of my doubts and insecurities in my art. Instead of writing music, I made comics and animations that allowed me to confront my illness head-on. Some of these can be seen here and here if you are interested. In the case of the H-Wing Album, I don't actually love the sound of Hearn's music, but his profound lyrics are what touch me. In the above song, "Mouth of a Shadow", he captures the sense of hopelessness and melancholy of fighting this disease, something I can immediately empathize with. Still, he maintains his quiet, but firm conviction when he declares "I have decided to stay." Good for you, Kevin. I'm glad you did.