Six Degrees of Seperation {Book Version}

In case you didn't know, I am a huge fan of the indie band, The Script.

And in celebration of their upcoming album release, I'm dedicating an entire post to them! And singing the lyrics! And relating everything to books!

I've been a fan of them for a while, and one of my all-time-favorite songs from them is Six Degrees of Separation, which is one of their more popular songs.

It's intended to be a break-up song, but as I was listening to it for the upteenth time the other day, it hit me how much it resembles that heartbreak every reader feels at the end of a particularly heart-crushing book.  

So I'm going to break the lyrics down, (mostly the chorus) and explain how it relates to the PAIN EVERY READER ENDURES. Do feel free to sing along! ;)

And because I know you're tempted:

You've read the books,
You've watched the shows,
What's the best way no one knows, yeah,
Meditate, get hypnotized.
Anything to take from your mind.
But it won't go, ohhhh ohhh
You're doing all these things out of desperation,
Ohhh ohhh,
You're going through six degrees of separation.

Here's the deal. You've just read an AMAZING book. It made you cry, it was the end of a beloved series, all that jazz. And you try to move on from the pain-joy, BUT YOU CAN'T. It seems as if you are perpetually stuck in the world of your completed book/series. You are unable to begin a new book, and seem to have something known as a book hangover.

You hit the drink, you take a toke
Watch the past go up in smoke, yeah
Fake a smile, yeah, lie and say that,
You're better now than ever, and your life's okay
When it's not. No.
You're doing all these things out of desperation,
Ohhh ohhh,
You're going through six degrees of separation.

You attempt to continue with your life. You manage to make it through the routines of school without breaking down more than twice. Someone asks you if you're all right, and you'll reply in the affirmative. There is a 90% chance that they are not book-lovers, so you know it is pointless to indulge them in your suffering. They'll never understand.

First, you think the worst is a broken heart

This is the hardest part, you convince yourself. You'll find a better book. It can't get worse than this, can it?

What's gonna kill you is the second part

It just got worse, son. You feel the book eating away at your heart.

And the third, Is when your world splits down the middle

HAHA, YOU THINK YOU HAVE YOUR LIFE TOGETHER NOW, DO YOU?

And fourth, you're gonna think that you fixed yourself

You distract yourself with Harry Potter marathons. You bathe in chocolate. Dammit, you even use those dusty yoga CDs hidden in your cabinet. For a while, you feel like you're getting better!

Fifth, you see them out with someone else

Oh, crap. That girl in the street. She's holding the book. Your book. The cover is wripped and wrinkled and bent. You resist the urge to rip it out of her ungracious paws and almost get run over by a car as you stand there, eyes vacant, body motionless, heart slowly being consumed by the grief once again. 

And the sixth, is when you admit you may have f***** up a little

You begin to regret even reading the book. Then, you start to regret the angry, obsessive thoughts you had of it. You stroke the book's cover and tell it how sorry you are for your unseemly behavior. It is the book's choice whether or not it forgives you.

No, no, there ain't no help
It's every man for himself
You're goin' through six degrees of separation

You must conquer this yourself. And you will survive.

*This was meant to be humorous; please don't try these at home, folks!*