“When Somebody’s Gone”Unpacking the themes of love, loss and resilience that make Carsie Blanton’s emotionally raw and deeply vulnerable song a meaningful companion through grief
Carsie Blanton, known for her activism in both song and action, shared her vulnerable and powerful music differently in “When Somebody’s Gone.” Like so many people, Blanton lost loved ones to COVID and related ailments, and that loss shaped the song. Although it was officially released in 2023 on her album “Body of Work,” she…
Carsie Blanton, known for her activism in both song and action, shared her vulnerable and powerful music differently in “When Somebody’s Gone.”
Like so many people, Blanton lost loved ones to COVID and related ailments, and that loss shaped the song. Although it was officially released in 2023 on her album “Body of Work,” she wrote and shared a simple version with acoustic guitar and raw vocals recorded at her home in 2021.
Blanton wrote “When Somebody’s Gone” to remember and honor her grandparents who died that year; she lost her grandfather to a stroke after he recovered from a COVID infection, and her grandmother — who was in a nursing home and unable to have visitors — to COVID. In her July 2021 Facebook post, Blanton stated that she wrote it “mostly for her mother, who just spent an excruciating year arranging care — and then settling affairs — for both of her parents.”
Pain and Beauty of Memories
Blanton also used her platform to address her aunts’ grief and acknowledge the collective grief of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the individual impact of a global event, especially when there is an unprecedented number of deaths, aids in how people grapple with memory and the trauma of grief.
“Take all the things they saved and treasured
Put them in a pile on the lawn
When somebody’s gone“
Her song speaks to the conflict people often experience when letting go of items their loved ones held onto throughout their life. In one way, it’s letting go of items; in another, it tugs at the heart of grief. Letting go of items may feel like one more step of ripping away from someone special as one says goodbye.
When someone dies, going through their things is also bound to bring up memories. A poignant line is
“Somewhere a broken record’s playin’ memories like half-forgotten songs
When somebody’s gone“
No Timeline for Grief
In the chorus, Blanton passionately sings about some of the platitudes that are meant to bring relief, but for some, have the opposite effect. At the same time, she laments that there isn’t a definitive timeline for grief, and some of the pain comes from not knowing when or if our sadness will start to feel lighter.
“And they say your heart won’t always hurt
But they don’t say how long
It’s strange the body turns to dirt
While love goes on and on“
The focus on continuing love can help people cope with unexpected waves of grief regardless of whether they’ve experienced a recent loss or continue to come back to a loss from many years ago.
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