I want to share a song with all of you. It suddenly popped up in my head while I was grieving the loss of my youngest son, Edvard.
Here is a photo of him together with me some months before he died.
Losing a child is an immense tragedy. I started singing in my head to ease the situation, especially when I walked alone to the store. Phrases from old Norwegian songs like I walk with a courageous spirit… and Wherever you go, through hills and mountains… helped a bit in the sorrow. Gradually, strange phrases like “Kalebanken bonk balebonken banken bei” appeared, which made me happy. Based on these phrases, I wrote a song called “I’m a Man Living Here and Now.” It’s an attempt to celebrate my ordinarily positive outlook on life, as well as an encouragement to sing with the voice you have, especially when the days are tough. In Norwegian, the song rhymes, but the translated English version doesn’t.
I hope that, like me, you will smile a little at this small joy stunt and forgive me for the performance is far from perfect. It’s well-intentioned!
