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"Time's Up —
Your Move"
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Scroll down to see a video of Paige playing this song, accompanied by Deborah Cosimo playing spoons, in front of a live audience!
Roller Coaster
words and music by Paige Powell ©2007 Paige E. Powell
1. Life is a roller coaster
The ups and downs and turnarounds
Life can be so exciting
Our eyes wide open to the sounds
Let’s ride the roller coaster
Especially when you’re feeling down
Each turn is so surprising
And at the top, you’ll see the whole town
Chorus: Climbing the hill, up over the hill
Oh, the thrill!
We go on the ride just for the thrill
Climbing the hill, up over the hill
Oh, the thrill!
Riding through life, up or downhill
Bridge: Catch your breath
'Cause there’s a new curve you didn’t see
Lift your hands if you dare let go of me!
2. Life is a roller coaster
Those happy, thrilling days will arrive
Ride through life’s disappointments
And soon you’ll feel free and alive
Let’s ride the roller coaster
Just let your screaming out
Let’s feel our hair go flyin’
And laugh for me when you shout (Repeat Chorus)
The Story Behind the Song,
"Roller Coaster":
After I moved back to the D.C. area from Oklahoma, I had times of depression, and one evening it was pretty bad. Somehow, I climbed out of myself to become an observer: "Yes, I am depressed, and I'm at the bottom of a hill, the bottom of — a roller coaster, and that means there's going to be an UP — a climbing out of the bottom, when the roller coaster goes back up." I saw life itself as a roller coaster, and that it would take me up in the near future. I would not be going up by my own strength, but by life's "roller coaster" ride with both ups and downs. Believing that there would be an "up" coming in the future helped me to endure the down I was experiencing. The other word for this is "hope"!
To cheer myself further, I wrote "Roller Coaster" and when I recorded it in the studio for my CD, "Time's Up — Your Move" I emphasized the "up" by playing slide on my seldom-used electric guitar (a gift from my cousin, Joel Pitts!). You can listen to every time you are feeling a little low.
In the video above, the woman playing spoons is my cousin, Deborah Cosimo, Joel's sister. She was in town visiting, getting an award from the Office of Inspector General for her work against fraud, waste and abuse by Medicaid providers.
One Sunday I was watching CBS Sunday Morning and they interviewed Eric Clapton, one of my favorite guitar players. In response to the question about his current experiences, Eric said, "Life is a roller coaster" and I was thrilled because it's the first line of my song!
In other news, many thanks to my cousin, Valerie (yes, sister of Joel and Deborah) for playing my songs at a "home church" gathering this past Sunday! I'm also writing a new song, "Love Is Thicker Than Blood" about finding skeletons in our family history after digging into the pasts of our ancestors. When you have your DNA tested, you may find a broken branch or two in your family tree. That's when love really counts and forgiveness is needed.
