I don't often say this, but fuck this video.

If you're 25, the end of your life is an abstraction and the whole "there's time to change things!" is a nice balm. When you're 55, your death isn't an abstraction, it's a fact of life that dominates more and more of what remaining time you have left. The awareness of impending mortality is insidious once you're passed 50. It creeps into every part of your life and every decision you make.

Let me teach you one of those amazing words the Germans come up with for describing various forms of existential agony: weltschmerz. Loosely, this is a form of sadness when one realizes what is versus what could have been. This is the compound interest of regrets and choices not made, or made poorly. Not only does weltschmerz grow with each year, its very presence amplifies itself because the more you know what could have been, the more you see what the cost of that absence is. Then, if that's not evil enough, that knowledge focuses the mind on the time remaining and how little you can do to negate the harm done, which then re-amplifies the weltschmerz.

You can slap whatever Hallmark bullshit you need on this to get through the day, but weltscmerz never goes away. It's always there. It's there at 3:00am when you wake up in a silent house and look at everything around you as consolation prizes for races not won. It's there when you see your friends succeeding in a million different ways that you didn't. It's there when you look at 6 million lines of text you wrote and realize you're not going to be Hemingway after all.

So fuck this video. I don't need a cutesy animated memento mori, I've already got a wall clock in my death row cell.

Here endth the rant.

(Nick Drake nailed weltschmerz perfectly in "When The Day Is Done". Here's the video to that song:

https://youtu.be/Y2jxjv0HkwM)

Music is "From the Morning" by Nick Drake, final track on Pink Moon. Just heading this question off at the pass.

*beg for a wonderful song. Nick Drake rocks my socks off.

I love Nick Drake. I have everything by him.

In reply to this comment by Farhad2000:
Home PC

1. Ventures - Rma Bunk Shush
60s/70s instrumental band still active today I believe.

2. Delta Force - Main Theme
Theme to a popular Novalogic online game. I used to play this obsessively.

3. Nick Drake - Man in a shed
/wrists stuff.

4. Lil' Flip and Judge Dredd - Glocks Up
Houston hiphop/rap mixtape

5. Lamb of God - 11th Hour
Metal, I nearly got to see them live but they canceled a show in Ottawa.

6. 07 - Easy Street
Random chillout minimal track. Most probably from M_nus.

7. Ventures - Frosty
More classic instrumental tracks.

8. The Roots - The Web
Hip hop live band?

9. Portishead - Better Things
Who doesn't know Portishead?

10. The Orb - Tong Poo
Who doesn't know the Orb?

Home PC

1. Ventures - Rma Bunk Shush
60s/70s instrumental band still active today I believe.

2. Delta Force - Main Theme
Theme to a popular Novalogic online game. I used to play this obsessively.

3. Nick Drake - Man in a shed
/wrists stuff.

4. Lil' Flip and Judge Dredd - Glocks Up
Houston hiphop/rap mixtape

5. Lamb of God - 11th Hour
Metal, I nearly got to see them live but they canceled a show in Ottawa.

6. 07 - Easy Street
Random chillout minimal track. Most probably from M_nus.

7. Ventures - Frosty
More classic instrumental tracks.

8. The Roots - The Web
Hip hop live band?

9. Portishead - Better Things
Who doesn't know Portishead?

10. The Orb - Tong Poo
Who doesn't know the Orb?

Anything worth saying is worth saying again. And again.

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
Thanks, KP!

Is there an echo in here?

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
*promote

Thanks, KP!

Is there an echo in here?

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
*promote

Thanks, KP!

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
*promote

Your video, A Skin Too Few - The Days of Nick Drake, has made it into your personal Highest Rated Videos listing. Congratulations on a job well done. For you contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

i have to preface this by saying i had to skip one song that was "unknown artist," and called a default "track 5". that being said, nearly all of these worked out amazingly well. except caribou. that part is definitely false...

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY," YOU SAY WHAT?
Kryptonite – 3 Doors Down

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Start Me Up – Rolling Stones

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
For All the Pretty People – Ben Folds

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Collide the Tide – Chin Up, Chin Up

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Plunk – Tegan and Sara

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Waffle – Sunny Day Real Estate

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Kyle Took a Bullet for Me – Tenacious D

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
I’d Do Anything – Simple Plan

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
In A Submarine – Home Video

WHAT IS 2+2?
Everything I Want – Mohair

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Ave Maria – The Apples in Stereo

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart – Billy Eckstine

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Trains’ Leavin’ – French Toast

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Pirates – Bullets and Octane

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Eyes – Apollo Sunshine

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Suddenly Everything Has Changed – The Flaming Lips

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Seven Days a Week – The Sounds

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Deep in your Wake – Caroline’s Spine

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Those Magic Changes – Sha-Na-Na

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
One of These Things First – Nick Drake

WHATS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Murder on the Dance Floor – Sophie Ellis-Bextor

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
You Set the Scene - Love

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Rum is for Drinking, Not for Burning – Senses Fail

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
The Men in Blue – Prince Paul

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Dead Man’s Will – Iron and Wine

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
I’ll Do Anything – Jason Mraz

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Caribou – The Pixies

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
You Get Me – Michelle Branch

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Wildest Dreams – Moody Blues

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Blueside - Rooney

1. David Bowie - Andy Warhol
2. Autolux - Asleep at the Trigger
3. Nick Drake - Man in a Shed
4. Donovan - To Susan on the West Coast Waiting
5. Iron & Wine - On Your Wings
6. Bob Dylan - You Angel You
7. The Boxcars - The Ballad of Buffalo Creek
8. Drunk & Lovely - Too Long
9. Crooked Still - Angeline the Baker
10. Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash - Peggy Day

Thank you! I corrected Son of Sam and Waltz XO 2.

He's a favorite of mine as well, it was pretty sad to hear about his death but not really surprising given the nature of his songs sometimes.

If you like Smith you might like Nick Drake as well then check out some sifts here:
http://www.videosift.com/video/Nick-Drake-Day-is-Done
http://www.videosift.com/video/Nick-Drake-River-Man

In reply to this comment by evil_disco_man:
Hey, I see you've uploaded a couple Elliott Smith videos, nice - probably my favorite musician of all-time. At the risk of sounding anal (especially since they're posted over a year ago) just thought I'd mention that you misspelled his name with only one "t". Wanted to set that straight for anyone searching for his videos in the future, that's all.

Love your Bio quote!

Peace

-jake-