I took a deep breath in and let out a long sigh as I flopped onto my bed, back first. Moving from a really remote and quiet part of Japan to Tokyo, which was without question the most populated part of the country I live in, was a really big change.It was a long, almost 24 hour drive from where I lived and the new house that I was currently at.
Not only was it long but also tiring, both physically and emotionally. I had to say my last good-byes to my friends, not being able to see them in person anymore. With that thought alone I could feel my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. I had literally grown up with all of the friends i just left, knowing that i wouldn't get to hang out with them again hurt a lot.
The only real thing I had to comfort me was my Ukelele, which I wasn't going to complain about. I often times used music as a form to express my feelings, and made covers of songs that I could relate to at a certain moment and posted them on the internet.
It was nice to not only get my frustrations out, but also have other people tell me they can feel the emotion that I poured into the songs. Many people told me that they felt chills every time they listened to a cover, which was always sweet to hear.
I turned my head to my left and could see my beautiful Ukelele sitting in the corner, waiting to be played with. I couldn't help but let a small smile come to my face as I went to grab it. "Hey mom!" I called out from my room, hoping she could hear me. To my delight I heard my mom yell back with a simple "yes".
"Did we bring my camera and computer." This time I was quieter as I had walked to my door and opened it, making it easier for her to hear me. "Your father left them in the car!" I felt my smile turn brighter, quickly setting my instrument down to go the car to grab my equipment. To my surprise my father had also remembered to pack the microphone in the car too, which I was very grateful for.
After grabbing my stuff I headed back to my room and set up the stuff as best as I could. I sat my camera on my bed, along with the mic, while I chose to sit on the floor. Not to long after I started the video.
"Hey guys, it's (nickname)!" I started the video as always. "If you guys are wondering why the location is different and why it probably sounds a lot more echoey, it's cause I've moved!" With this I gave the camera a sad smile.
"It hadn't been too long but I've been feeling a little homesick, so I thought I'd do a cover of a song I learned a while ago that is about just that! I hope you like it." At this I cleared my throat and held my Ukelele properly, and began to strum the notes and sing.
"When I was six years old I broke my leg
I was running from my brother and his friends,"
I remembered a time that something very similar happened to me, me and my friends were playing man hunt in the dark, and because there was a group of ten of us we decided that there would be three hunters. They all found me pretty quickly in a flower field and were chasing me.
"And tasted the sweet perfume of the mountain grass I rolled down. I was younger then, take me back to when... I found my heart and broke it here. Made friends and lost them through the years,"
I closed my eyes and could practically see all of my friends faces, the ones that I still had today and the ones I lost over petty quarrels.
"And I've not seen the roaring fields in so long, I know I've grown, but I can't wait to go home..."
I remembered my house, how it looked, and how different it was compared to the new one. It was a lot more cozier, and "home-y" in a sense.
"I'm on my way! Driving at ninety down those country lanes, singing to "Tiny Dancer" and I miss the way you make me feel, and it's real.
We watched the sunset over the castle on the hill!"
I remember the times me and my friends would go to the flower field and just sit there for hours talking, watching the sun set. It wasn't in front of a castle, however the sun fading behind the trees was far more breathtaking than any castle I could ever see.
"Fifteen years old and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, running from the law through the backfields and getting drunk with my friends."
"Had my first kiss on a Friday night, I don't reckon that I did it right."
I couldn't help but giggle at those lyrics, finding them funny. Then again, I've never had a first kiss so it wasn't like I had room to judge or compare.
"But I was younger then, take me back to when we found weekend jobs, when we got paid. We'd buy cheap spirits and drink them straight, me and my friends have not thrown up in so long,"
I remembered the times when we'd meet up at the convent store and use all the money we had from chores to buy ourselves so much candy and sodas that we'd end up getting sick the next day.
"oh how we've grown, but I can't wait to go home... I'm on my way! Driving at ninety down those country lanes, singing to "Tiny Dancer", and I miss the way you make me feel, and it's real. We watched the sunset over the castle on the hill!"
"Over the castle on the hill, Over the castle on the hill!"
I continued to sing, even for the parts that don't apply to me.
"One friend left to sell clothes, one works down by the coast, one had two kids but lives alone, one's brother overdosed... one's already on his second wife and one's just barely getting by,
But these people raised me and I can't wait to go home...."
"And I'm on my way! I still remember this old country lanes! When we did not know the answers, and I miss the way you make me feel, it's real. We watched the sunset over the castle on the hill."
"Over the castle on the hill, over the castle on the hill!" I finished off the song, smiling brightly, already feeling better and more lively. "That was Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran, and I hope you enjoyed."
With that I ended the video, this time my smile felt more bittersweet, leaving me to let out a content sigh. I quickly uploaded the song to my computer and edited it a little bit, trying to not make it sound so echo-y. Not to long after I picked my thumbnail and uploaded it to my channel.
I was watching the video upload when I heard my mother call me downstairs, telling me that dinner was ready. I ran the downstairs, wanting to eat quickly and go look at the comments in my video, it was always a good way to end a tough day....