Apparently I am 14 years late in discovering the huge hit song “Let Her Go” by English singer-songwriter Passenger, whose real name is Michael David Rosenberg. I heard this song on my way to the library, and the lyrics hit me with a sense of melancholy in the way that only poetry can.
Did a quick search based on the sentence “only hate the road when you’re missing home”, and watched the official video, which boasts over 4 billion views as of the writing of this note (!) and is absolutely beautiful. Also enjoyed the 10th anniversary edition featuring Ed Sheeran. Highly recommended.
The name “Michael Rosenberg” rang a bell so I did another search… The name in my head turned out to be Michael Rosen, the famous English children’s author. I wrote an article back in January 2011, describing his Michael Rosen’s Sad Book (2004) as one of the saddest children’s books I have known. Then, in September 2022, I had my own reason to be sad and wrote another article to document it.
“Ultimately, I suppose, growing up is a process of learning how to discuss death and loss in a ‘matter-of-fact’ way as Rosen described it. It is a process of getting used to the idea of feeling sad but having to pretend to be happy.”
“Unlike children, whose expressions can be short, sharp and straightforward like a punch in your face, adults often have to hide their tears. No one likes seeing a fully-grown man or woman bawling their eyes out.”
“Perhaps this is why we as adult readers need the saddest children’s books. They provide us with a rare chance to openly shed our tears, without having to feel embarrassed or ashamed, so we can free ourselves to process our deepest and dearest feelings afterwards.”
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Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音 