Subway Kid

a song of stairs, spiral and shadow

Prompt by Labyrinthia Mythweaver:

The house still stands… mostly.
Yet it seems… different.
Doors you don’t remember. Stairs curving strangely.
What happened here? What story does this image conjure for you?

…I noticed a piano at the bottom of the stairs.

You can start playing the song and read along if you’d like.

Subway Kid (Full Song):

Subway Kid is an original piano composition that tells a story through music in the emotions it attempts to convey throughout.

The first half of this song represents the initial descent of the stairs. It respresents unhealed states of being in our own lives.

We are often very careful in how we proceed.

At times we tip-toe, as if walking on eggshells.

Othertimes we act irrationally, sometimes spiraling.

Occasionally we find ourselves backing away from the unknown through second-guessing ourselves and our abilities.

We self-edit parts of our lives that we allow others to see.

Through self exploration, we eventually reach the depths of our own inner worlds. It is here we enter into the realm of the subconscious.

It is often here that we encounter the shadow.

Our shadow represents the darkest parts of ourselves, which we have repressed from a young age. It is composed of feelings and associated behaviors we were instructed or shamed to put away because we were told it was ‘bad to be this way’.

Often exploration of the shadow can involve taboo ideas or emotions that feel foreign. Perhaps we have not allowed ourselves the opportunity to fully explore what it means to feel them.

With perceived confrontation of the shadow, fear becomes an oft-associated emotion.

We may fear our shadow from the times it manifested itself in the past through impulsive actions of extreme emotion.

Within the middle of the song, the shadow is finally met,

the music darkens…

And an abrupt shift occurs.

It is discovered that the shadow is NOT an entity to be feared, but rather another part of ourselves to be understood.

The shadow is an aspect of us that is playful and curious. It wants to interact with us! It may even express itself as feeling neglected, lashing out in those moments where emotion takes over.

Following this discovery, the song shifts in tone, as does our lives.

The shadow is remembered, embraced and explored.

It begins its own distinct dance as a valid part of our own true expression.

We begin to play along with the shadow in exploration and observation of the self without judgment.

The song continues this exploration for its second half.

Perhaps we are less careful as we once were about how we present ourselves, understanding and allowing mistakes as a natural form of learning.

When negative emotions occur, instead of resisting them, we allow ourselves to sit with them, feeling them fully.

Reintegration of shadow with the self becomes its own healing journey as all parts of self, light and dark, begin to work together.

We embrace and find that this part that we once feared as a foe is actually friend.

And it is there for us in our darkest moments.

Celeste (2018) is a video game that explores the concepts of shadow through its heartfelt story.

Subway Kid - Full Song

Source: Gemini 3.1 w/ Nanobanana 2

A Note About the Title
“Subway Kid” is a nod to a line from the song “Born this Way” by Lady Gaga.
Born this Way is about embracing your true nature and loving who you are.

Give yourself prudence and love your friends.
Subway kid, rejoice your truth.
In the religion of the insecure,
I must be myself, respect my youth.