Can't Shake the Shadow

It’s the week after Hallowe’en. On our street, the scary inflatables are deflated, alongside carcasses of jack-o-lanterns awaiting garbage pickups or hungry squirrels.

Despite the rays of hope that are shining now, it’s a shadowy time.

So here’s a musical reflection on devil and shadow. About ten years ago, I first heard the idea that Donald Trump embodies the unconscious “shadow” we all carry: those parts of ourselves we’d rather not see, such as greed, cruelty, selfishness, dishonesty and so on. As Marianne Williamson wrote in a recent Substack post, “he is our own shadow reflected on the screen of our lives, and like any image thus projected it cannot be removed by manipulating the screen.” Last week, This Jungian Life cast light on evil, shadow and all that devilish business.

In supposedly ethical and just societies, like the U.S. and Canada, the undercurrent of injustice is always present. Without calling it out clearly—by denying it’s there—we allow it to flourish. Here in Canada, a disturbing rise of extremist hate is likely to be surprising to many. “What, here? Impossible!” Not so, says Charlie Angus in this illuminating article from Nov. 3rd.

Despite the seriousness of the subject, I had fun writing this song and recording it too...playing with light and shadow myself! Many thanks, as always, for reading and listening.

Lynn

The devil that was always there / at least we can see it now / the source of cruelty and despair / at least we can see it now // Can’t miss it now, it’s obvious / It always was a part of us / You can’t shake the shadow anyhow / At least you can see it now.

The worship of some golden thing / It’s not just a story of old1 / Its dazzling deception brings / Sickness of the soul // Whatever it was they called ‘sin’2 / it’s made the awful mess we’re in / You can’t shake the shadow anyhow / at least you can see it now.

Can’t shrug it off / can’t shut it down / just watch it overrun / everybody in this town / Now that it’s out / from underground / is it any wonder that it’s pushing us around?

The evil we said we don’t know / maybe we can own it now / The sham behind the great big show / bears all of our names somehow // Divides us into us and them / conceals the divine light within / You can’t shake the shadow anyhow / at least you can see it now.

Can’t shrug it off / can’t shut it down / just watch it overrun / everybody in this town / Now that it’s out / from underground / is it any wonder that it’s pushing us around?

“What darkness lurks in the hearts of men?”3 / You’d think we would know by now / Think we’re in charge? Well, think again! / It’s got us all bowing down // But if we shed a light on it / We might wake up a little bit / You can’t shake the shadow anyhow / At least you can see it now

We can’t shake the shadow anyhow / At least we can see it now…

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