Garcia Media Life

Through the Line

By Robert Garcia

Initially written as a salute to love and the communications devices used to express it, I wrote most of Through the Line almost 30 years ago and it is the happiest song I’ve ever composed.  In tempo and in the basic philosophical optimism, it is a thoroughly feel-good tune.

Producer, Jeff Severson, created a Motown-like instrumentation that adds to the positive energy. Through the Line is quite simply an expression of appreciation to those who love us and stick by us, despite life’s vagaries.

From a lyrical perspective there are two sets of phrases that I was particularly happy with.   There is a totally new 2^nd verse that picks up from the theme of the 1^st.

Don’t you now that life has a plan for you
Maybe not what you thought you were supposed to do
You won’t be given more than you can handle
Make a wish and light another candle

And the break has a simple set of words that captures what’s been a central philosophical strain that has run through my entire life- basically- life can be arbitrary- and so what?  Deal with it! With happiness and love in your heart.

The way it has unfurled
There is no reason to this world
Just chance and fate and a little bit of luck

Ride with the changes
And just take what life arranges
With love and faith and a little bit of fun

When I first wrote the song in 1987 and made a rudimentary recording of it, I played it for a friend of mine, Dave Arlington, who was, at the time, the morning-drive DJ for what was then WLTT-FM radio (Light Rock- Less Talk) in Washington, D.C.   He liked the tune and thought it was catchy but didn’t quite understand what I meant by “Through the Line.”   What “line?”  I meant the telephone.  And if I could have convinced AT&T to use the song in an ad, I’d still be collecting residuals.

And then the internet came along and “Through the Line” could be anything from Skype, to a land-line to WhatsApp to the Web itself.

Yup that’s my style- accidentally ahead of the times.

Through the Line
By Robert Garcia

Don’t you know life’s full of surprises
Never turns out the way you surmised it
Villains can turn into allies
You can be at the bottom and still be on the rise

Sure bets can go down the drain
A day full of sunshine can turn into rain
Only sure thing I can depend on- is you baby
You send your love on
Through the Line
Right on time

Don’t you know that life has a plan for you
Maybe not what you thought you were supposed to do
You won’t be given more than you can handle
Make a wish and light another candle

Angels from heaven surround your head
Devils from hell pull you down instead
Only sure thing I can depend on- is you baby
You send your love on
Through the Line
Right on time

The way it has unfurled
There is no reason to this world
Just chance and fate and a little bit of luck

Ride with the changes and just
Take what life arranges
With love and faith and a little bit of fun

One thing I can always depend on- is you baby
You send your love on
Through the Line
Right on time

Don’t you know life’s full of surprises
Never turns out the way you surmised it
Villains can turn into allies
You can be at the bottom and still be on the rise

Sure bets can go down the drain
A day full of sunshine can turn into rain
Only sure thing I can depend on- is you baby
You end your love on
Through the Line
Right on time

By Robert Garcia- Copyright 2015

Dylan’s Ghost- Songs of a Lifetime is available for digital download at I-Tunes, CD Baby, and Amazon Music. Purists who would like a hard copy of the CD can contact me directly at robert.garcia.56@gmail.com and we’ll make arrangements to ship it out to you.