You’re young, and roll your eyes when people speak of the “big questions,” as if everybody asks why we’re here, what’s the nature of existence. You think: I’m not asking those questions. I’m here, and this life on this earth is all I know, and all I can know. But you listen to this song repeatedly. And deep down, you hear its call to angels, knowing your answer to its central question: you would never trade in all the pain and suffering if it meant missing the beauty of the light upon this Earth, and the sweetness of the leaving.

Jane Siberry with k.d. lang,"Calling All Angels," written by Jane Siberry, 1991.

This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day to May 31, 2025.

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