Ghost Song? - A true story

Has this ever happened to you?

One of the strangest things, ever, happened to me the other day. It was a peculiar incident the like of which I have never experienced before in my entire life.

It was approximately 06:10 in the morning on a grey, rainy Wednesday, (is it ever going to stop raining), and I was driving home after having just dropped my wife off at her workplace.

Apart from thinking about the working day ahead of me, and the fact I was beginning a weeks holiday starting on the Friday, I wasn’t thinking of anything in particular.

And I certainly wasn’t thinking about music.

So, it came as a bit of a surprise when, without warning, a tune just began playing in my head. I could hear it distinctly, almost physically, akin to listening to music on my iPod, and it was a melody line I was sure I’d never heard before.

At this point, it didn’t strike me as too bizarre. I’ve had unknown tunes pop in my head before but usually when I’m playing my guitar or keyboard.

So, I continued driving with this rather catchy melody repeatedly playing in my head.

I even began to muse about doing something with it. Now this is where things started getting a tad weird!

As I was pondering and happily humming the tune, words unexpectedly started to spill into my head. But they were not just words, they were rhyming lyrics. Four lines of lyrics, in fact, that married so perfectly with the tune, I actually started singing them!

‘My Baby don’t love me no more

That’s what she told me as she walked out the door

She said she got herself a brand new plan

She gonna get herself a brand new man’

I was now more than a mite perplexed.

Where on earth did that all come from?

From seemingly out of nowhere I suddenly had a strange tune and matching lyrics buzzing round my head. (I wasn't at all displeased, however. I liked the tune and I liked the lyrics.).

I couldn’t work it out. The song didn’t sound familiar but I naturally assumed it was perhaps a song I’d heard sometime in the past and only now, for no obvious reason, I was remembering it.

And then, for the briefest of moments, in my mind’s eye I saw a face.

It was the chubby, happy face of a black man smiling broadly.

It was there. And then it was gone. In an instant.

Now, I was completely dumbfounded. It was simply beyond me. Why on earth would the face of a smiling black man suddenly and inexplicably jump into my head? This was fast becoming a truly strange series of events. Not frightening, just strange,

Tune, lyrics, face.

I got home and temporarily put it behind me as I got ready for work.

As I was on an early shift, the office was fairly empty and quiet when I arrived so I got myself a coffee and logged on to my computer.

One of my colleagues arrived shortly after me. We talked about general things whilst she switched on her computer and logged on. 

On a whim, I decided to tell her of my odd experience. She was, I’m relieved to say, quite fascinated by my tale.

She asked if I could sing the song so that she could ascertain whether or not she had heard it. So I sang it to her.

She listened as I sang the 4 lines and then said she’d never heard a song like that before.

The office slowly filled up and, as the day went on, I spoke to more friends and colleagues about my experience and sang them the song. None had ever heard of it. 

One of my colleagues jokingly said, ‘maybe the guy you saw died and never got to finish the song and has been looking for someone to finish it’.

I have to admit, even though he was joking, I kind of considered it as a possibility.

Maybe that is what happened. Maybe my mind was uncluttered and open enough for the guy to come through and pass on his tune and lyrics and finally, for the briefest of moments, was able to introduce himself by showing me his face.

On the other hand, maybe the song was in me all the time waiting to surface and it's all just coincidence. I just don’t know.

Anyway, I couldn't help but feel compelled to complete the lyrics and record the song, 

So, am I working on a song given to me by a ghost? 

Has this ever happened to you? Something entirely unrelated to your thoughts suddenly popping into your head? Something you considered as somewhat odd, or puzzling? I'd be interested to hear your tale if you have and your thoughts on what my experience might have been.

I honestly have not the slightest clue what to make of it all.

But I live in hope that one day, I will!