ALL THINGS MUST PASS

I have been listening to a lot of George Harrison. Something about my career transition drew me to him - the moment when, upon leaving The Beatles, he suddenly had a triple album’s worth of songs in him. It’s a great album, full of soul, memorable lines and hooks, and instantly established his own identity full of slide guitar, folk-blues, and Hare Krishna exuberance.

Transitions are hard. Coming out of the shadow of Lennon and McCartney must have seemed a daunting task. How else do you do it, but just let it roll? You capitalize on your connections in what would now be called Americana music. Collaborate with Bob Dylan, The Band, Phil Specter, Eric Clapton.

You’ve already proven your chops as a songwriter. Here Comes the Sun and Something graced Abbey Road. While My Guitar Gently Weeps, need we say more? But other efforts were rejected. No matter - these will be your first classics: My Sweet Lord and All Things Must Pass.

Last year while on a brief sabbatical from work I gave myself the gift of guitar lessons. I’ve been playing for nearly twenty years, but I never had taken lessons. I had no real skills, had never progressed beyond strumming the basics. I wanted to learn finger picking style, which led me to Harrison’s Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let it Roll). It’s buried in the middle of side three, after Apple Scruffs (another gem). Apparently it’s about the guy who built George’s house, or about the house itself. For me, it was about moving on, about how you sometimes have to let things go, maybe before you’re ready. Move beyond your fears and let it all roll off your back, you’ll find your way.

Eyes that shining full of inner light

Let it roll into the night

Where is my inner light? It is in the wisdom to know that all things must pass.