The Sandwich

The sandwich woke with a start
It got up and it did … sandwichy stuff
It got in the bath and it washed all its parts
And it got out when it had had enough
It slipped on some mayo and bonked its bread
And it woke once again in a field
Where beautiful beings were cradling its head
And its body felt strangely more real

And a guy in a cloak said: “Bread bonk, I see?”
And he smiled a formless smile
“You’ve gotta go back eventually,
But why not hang out here for a while?”
Now instead of a field, it was floating through space
A being made of love and light
Everything seemed exceedingly real
An existence where all was alright
And a voice from the void came loud and clear
And echoey, lucid and bright:

"You were never a sandwich
It’s a trick of the eye
But you learned lots of sandwichy things
And someday you’ll stay here
But now it’s goodbye
You’ll go back in a sec
If you’re wondering why—
There’s a message we hope that you’ll bring:

Everything is as it should be
Everything is as it should be
Everything is as it should be

//

OK, It’s Jez again. This is how the album opens. What’s going on?

This. This is what’s going on. [Edit note: The original blog pointed to this, which is also good, but not actually the right video!] I was on BART about 18 months ago and a friend sent me a link to this video, I watched it, and started writing right there on the subway.

A few ideas stuck with me immediately:

“I can’t believe I thought I was That Guy.” You go to the Other Place and realize that your human form was basically arbitrary. You may as well have been anyone. Or a cat or a dog. Or… a sandwich, for that matter?

“Everything is as it should be.” Of course, the refrain of the song. A nice thought to carry a guy through tough times.

What happens next? You’ll have to listen to the track and find out…