I Dreamed A Dream.

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

The most inspiring and soul stirring performance ever. This is the story of Susan Boyle who has encouraged everyone to not only dream but hope that it will come true someday. This is the story for everyone who has dreamed, who has failed and stopped dreaming – its an inspiration.

A bit of wikipedia information follows for background:

Susan Boyle (born 1961) is a Scottish singer and church volunteer who came to public attention on 11 April 2009, when she appeared as a contestant on the third series of Britain’s Got Talent. Boyle found fame when she sang “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Misérables in the competition’s first round.

Before she sang, both the audience and the judges appeared to express scepticism based on her unpolished appearance, and apparent awkwardness. In contrast, her vocal performance was so well received that she has been dubbed “The Woman Who Shut Up Simon Cowell”. She received a standing ovation from the live audience, garnering yes-votes from Cowell and Amanda Holden, and the “biggest yes I have ever given to anybody” from Piers Morgan. The audition was recorded in January 2009 at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, Scotland.

The juxtaposition of the reception to her voice with the audience’s first impression of her triggered global interest was amazing. Articles about her appeared in newspapers all over the world, while the numbers that watched videos of her audition set an online record. By 20 April 2009, viral videos of her audition, subsequent interviews of her, and her 1999 rendition of “Cry Me a River” had been viewed over 100 million times on the Internet. Cowell is reported to be setting up a contract with Boyle with his Syco Music company label, a subsidiary of Sony Music.

The video:

Personal Take:

I have watched it — umm..I have lost count but watched it too many times. And everytime I had a tear (quite a few actually) in my eye. From the look of “this is going to be a rather amusing show” that the judges had before Susan sang to the looks shock to utter appreciation left me completely moved. Her voice was spine tingling and an emotional powerhouse.

Literature has time again talked about underdogs being humiliated and ridiculed but in the end coming out victorious and Boyle stands for this “fairy tale”. A true example of never judging a book by its cover.

“I know what they were thinking, but why should it matter as long as I can sing? It’s not a beauty contest.” – said Susan Boyle to The Sunday Times

It reminds me, at this turning point of life, that its not about having the best of everything – looks, money, brains, etc – but making the best of what you got that matters. Boyle reminds every layman that she too is flawed and has faced disappointments in life but that didn’t stop her from trying again – stopped her from dreaming.

A new age Cinderella story for all. I suppose that is what makes adults different from children – we forget to dream and to believe in miracles, fairy tales, ourselves and in others. We tend to become more and more cynical as life happens to us and this is like an awakening call to all of us to dream, dream and dream, and most importantly believe in them.