11. Porches - “Be Apart”
I’m gonna start this off with a little vent. Now I’m not really one to overtly criticize grammar and take pride in correcting others. I of course (like many others out there) fall victim to the subconscious pitfall of wrongfully judging someone’s intelligence based upon their grasp of spelling and grammar. However, I stop short of calling them out and demeaning them for something that’s very often outside of their control and more likely a result of structural classism and racism than any sort of personal shortcoming. I mean, I’ve had loads of privilege and opportunity in my life and I still struggle to grasp (as many of you have probably noticed) many of the nuances of grammar. That being said, one of the prolific errors that I can’t stand seeing is when people confuse ‘a part’ with ‘apart’, and that is because doing so completely changes the meaning of a sentence. One version means ‘being included’ whereas the other version means ‘being separate’. They are complete opposites of each other. Therefore, when someone on social media posts some effusive display of affection that says something along the lines of ‘thanks for being apart of my life’, what they are really saying is ‘thanks for being removed from my life’. This happens all of the time, and I never call it out or demean anyone for making such a mistake, but it really does grind my gears.
Anyway, I promise all of this has a point. If you look at the title of this song (and especially if you listen to it) you’ll notice that the word ‘apart’ plays a prominent role. Now I don’t think this role is unintentional – or rather, I think seeing it as intentional gives this song more depth and a greater scope of meaning, and I like to imagine that such a feat is purposeful.
When seen in writing, ‘a part’ and ‘apart’ become clearly distinguishable (unless you fall within the category of people previously mentioned). However, when spoken the two became virtually indistinguishable. The listener can’t tell if the speaker within the song wants to “be a part of it all” or “be apart of it all”, and in such an instance, the subtlety of that single space between the ‘a’ and the ‘p’ becomes overwhelmingly significant. The single space carries the ability to completely alter the meaning of the song. Does the protagonist want to be one with everything around him, or does he want to escape everything around him? These converse feelings are what define life for many of us. In one moment we want to belong to something greater that possesses meaning, and in the next we want to be our own unique and individual entity that’s removed from the commotion and confusion of the world surrounding us. It’s the yin and yang of the soul – the constant struggle faced by everyone who holds a tenuous balance between introvert and extrovert, atheist and spiritualist, mentally secure and struggling to control our thoughts. The subtle play on words and blurring of meaning completely alters the song. It’s so simple, and yet it carries so much weight. I don’t even know if it’s intentional (it should have been named “be a/part” or something), but it does gain an added beauty when seen through such a lens – and I don’t know about you, but i like to hold onto beauty whenever and wherever I can within this great and uneasy world.
