Was shuffling through my iTunes earlier tonight, and came upon a great song by one of those talented artists taken away in their prime.

Change, recorded in 1992, is Shannon Hoon’s autobiographical vignette into his life as it was spiraling out of control around him. And at the age of 28, Shannon’s lyrics became a prophetic calling. Tragically in the fall of 1995, while on the road touring with his band - Blind Melon, Shannon died from an accidental drug overdose only days after having sent his mandated watchdog/drug counselor home. Shannon’s daughter, Nico Blue, was just three months old at the time of his death.

(From Blind Melon’s website) Just before Shannon left town, he wrote a song called “Change.” It would become one of Blind Melon’s very best.

He would sit on his mother’s porch, singing it over and over in his beautiful husky, high voice, and his mother would listen in, so proud and happy. The family considers it a song of wonderful innocence; a song of hope.

He told Chris Jones about the day he wrote Change: “He wrote it at the very end of a three-day coke binge in Indiana. During the first part I don’t feel the sun’s gonna come out today he was on the other side of the room, trying to see through the venetian blinds which were drawn so no light was coming in, and he was at a point where he couldn’t even get up.”

On Shannon’s gravestone, engraved are these lyrics - I know we can’t all stay here forever so I want to write my words on the face of today and they’ll paint it.

Change - Blind Melon (written by Shannon Hoon)

I don’t feel the sun’s comin’ out today
its staying in,
its gonna find another way.
As I sit here in this misery,
I don’t think I’ll ever see the sun from here.

And oh as I fade away,
they’ll all look at me and say,
and they’ll say,
Hey look at him,
I’ll never live that way,
But that’s ok they’re just afraid to change.

When you feel your life ain’t worth living,
you’ve got to stand up and take a look around you then a look way up to the sky.
And when your deepest thoughts are broken,
keep on dreaming boy cause when you stop dreamin’ it’s time to die.

And as we all play parts of tomorrow,
some ways will work and other ways we’ll play
But I know we all can’t stay here forever,
so I want to write my words on the face of today and then they’ll paint it.

And oh as I fade away,
they’ll all look at me and say,
hey look at him and where he is these days
When life is hard you have to change.

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For more about Shannon, check out the link above, or the many tribute sites on the web.