Parkinson’s: The Cave

“Welcome out of the cave, my friend. It’s a bit colder out here, but the stars are just beautiful.” Plato

“It doesn’t matter if a cave has been in darkness for 10,000 years or half an hour, once you light a match it is illuminated.” Paramahansa Yogananda

Introduction: I am always searching for a topic to write about in this blog. My musical tastes occupy much of the 1960s-1970s. For example, bands like Led Zeppelin dominate my brain when I think of music to play. But then, I also love Buddy Guy and the meaning of Blues. Therefore, when I hear a relatively new group like Mumford & Sons, they sound excellent and have great sing-along-songs. So I climb out of my old cave of musical preference and present the song entitled “The Cave” by Mumford & Sons.

“The frame of the cave leads to the frame of man.” Stephen Gardiner

The Cave of Parkinson’s: There are so many big and small issues with Parkinson’s. Suppose you are new to reading about Parkinson’s; the brain needs and uses dopamine for many physiological purposes. And in Parkinson’s, we have a deficiency in supplying this dopamine. Our tank has been slowly depleted of dopamine, the faucet has been left on for too many days, and the tank runs much lower than usual.

The result is a multitude of motor- and non-motor dysfunctions. The difficulty is everyone is different. It is like you are throwing darts at 20 balloons (each balloon representing a symptom) on a board. Throw 3 darts 10 times, and likely, the darts hit different balloons each time to give you 10 different patterns of burst balloons. Such is Parkinson’s, where we share a common disorder with a vast range of disparate symptoms and a varied timeframe of progression.

One could quickly enter a cave metaphorically for shelter in the presence of Parkinson’s. The cave may offer some protection from the stigma of the disorder. This cave may also represent a depressing thought, knowing Parkinson’s is a chronic progressing disorder. And the darkness of a cave is somewhat akin to the darkness sometimes found in Parkinson’s.

But living in a cave is like securing your boat to the dock. This is not truly living until you take your boat out on the water. Likewise, one must leave the cave to survive in the real world. I am not saying to totally abandon the cave because safety is essential to living successfully with Parkinson’s. Challenge yourself to seek the light outside of the cave, feel the warmth, and strive to live forward amid the disorder.

“Cracks make caves collapse.” Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The Cave of Mumford & Sons: A conversation between bandmates about people getting stuck and unable to escape darkness as if in a cave led the way to the song. It is a song of hope and not one to abandon your type of sentiment, “hold on hope” and “I’ll find strength.”

The opening line focuses on the slowly rising sun as if one is escaping from the darkness and the depths of despair, “It’s empty in the valley of your heart, the sun it rises slowly as you walk, away from all the fears and all the faults you’ve left behind.” It says to me with help and hope, one can get better. But hang on, the place you seek is going to take time.

The chorus collectively talks of persistence and the journey that is needed to change, “But I will hold on hope / And I won’t let you choke / On the noose around your neck / And I’ll find strength in pain / And I will change my ways / I’ll know my name as it’s called again.” The notion of knowing your name and not forgetting who you are remains an important concept.

The song ends with a supportive and positive statement about the results of your effort to change paths, “To live my life as it’s meant to be.”

Reviewing the comments about “The Cave,” others find references to Plato’s Cave and Homer’s Odyssey. “So come out of your cave walking on your hands and see the world hanging upside down.” This line may refer to the sentiment expressed by Plato regarding prisoners kept in the dark and unable to see when brought to light. And “So tie me to a post and block my ears” may refer to the travels of Odysseus when the Sirens entice him and his men to crash their ship among the rocks.

“Never forget where you came from. That’s what I think when I walk into a cave.” Demetri Martin

Merging of The Caves: Regardless of what one thinks Mumford & Sons “The Cave” lyrics were intended to be, it is a nice song with a melody that sticks with you over time. And it does not matter what I think or what others feel is what the words mean. They mean whatever you want them to be.

Based on Parkinson’s, these lyrics speak loudly to me. We are in for a combination of light and dark periods and sometimes get down on ourselves. But with perseverance and effort, we will climb out of the cave and live constructively. Our effort will be sincere, and we will do whatever it takes to remain ourselves, despite Parkison’s best effort otherwise.

Suppose you have read this far. Safe and happy journey forward. Stay active and strong, and try not to live looking in the rearview mirror. And if our journey intersects down the road, stick out your hand and take mine in kind. Let’s talk and keep walking together while living with Parkinson’s. Finally, I hope that any cave you visit is only for a short time.

“Job one is get out of that cave. A lot of people do get out but don’t change.” Robert Downey, Jr

Mumford & Sons, The Cave Video:

Mumford & Sons Lyrics

“The Cave”
[Verse 1]
It’s empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you’ve left behind
The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

[Chorus]
But I will hold on hope
And I won’t let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I’ll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I’ll know my name as it’s called again (Yeah!)

[Instrumental]

[Verse 2]
‘Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I’ll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind
So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

[Chorus]
And I will hold on hope
And I won’t let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I’ll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I’ll know my name as it’s called again

[Verse 3]
So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker’s hand
So make your siren’s call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say
‘Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it’s meant to be
Come on Red Rocks!

[Instrumental]

[Chorus]
And I will hold on hope
And I won’t let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I’ll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I’ll know my name as it’s called again, hey-ey!

“Maybe when all was said and done, the imagination was the most powerful of all weapons. It was the imagination of the human race that had allowed it to dream of a life beyond cold caves and of a possible future in the stars.” Dean Koontz

References:
https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-the-cave-by-mumford-sons/

https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858766939/

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/mumford-sons/the-cave

Song Analysis: The Cave by Mumford and Sons

“The Cave” by Mumford & Sons

Cover Photo Image by 12019 from Pixabay