PSYKĒ
Singing the inner life.
Know Thyself
Know Thyself dives into the nature of stressful thoughts and how to break free from them. Inspired by Byron Katie’s The Work, the song gives voice to different levels of consciousness, ultimately leading to a place beyond duality—echoed in a timeless line from Rumi.
How this song came to be
This song grew out of the 500+ pages of Byron Katie worksheets I was immersed in at the time. Stunned by the transformation this practice brought to my life, I wanted to express it through my most-loved language: music.
Bookended by Rilke and Rumi, the song guides listeners through the process of observing the voices of the mind—their complaints, judgments, and illusions—in a musical build that echoes the emotional overwhelm such thoughts often bring. All of this is watched “from above,” so to speak, by a higher Self who knows life unfolds on a field beyond ideas of right and wrong.
Musically, I wanted this to be a song you could move to, because to me it embodies the dance of life itself. It ends on a high note floating over a galaxy of sound, evoking the sense of peace I often feel after seeing myself more clearly through a worksheet.
Lyrics
“Quiet friend / Who has come so far”
(Source: "Let This Darkness Be A Bell Tower," by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy, used with permission.)
“There’s a field / I’ll meet you there”
(Source: "The Essential Rumi," by Jalal al-Din Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks, used with permission.)
“Nearby is a country they call Life / You will know it by its seriousness”
(Source: "Go To The Limits Of Your Longing," by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy, used with permission.)
Thoughts and feelings, making it seem so real
“Give me your hand”
(Source: "Go To The Limits Of Your Longing," by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy, used with permission.)
(Ego) I am annoyed at him, I am annoyed at her, I am annoyed at them
(Ego) I want him to change, I want her to change, I want them to change
(Ego) He shouldn’t make me feel, she shouldn’t make me feel, they shouldn’t make me feel
(Ego) To be happy, I need...to be happy I need...to be happy I need...
(Ego) He is a piece of shit, she is a piece of shit, they are a piece of shit
(Ego) I never want to feel this way again...I never want to feel this way again....
(Higher Self) Quiet, be still, is any of this even true?
'I am annoyed at him.' Is it true? 'I am annoyed at her.' Is it true? 'I am annoyed at them.' Is it true?
“Quiet friend / Who has come so far”
(Source: "Let This Darkness Be A Bell Tower," by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy, used with permission.)
Out beyond, out beyond
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing, of
rightdoing
Out beyond ideas, out beyond ideas,
Out beyond ideas
There is a field
I’ll meet you there”
(Source: "The Essential Rumi," by Jalal al-Din Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks, used with permission.)