The Monkey Mind

Lyrics

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
Jon Kabat-Zinn, in that cluttered room at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, 1979.
You sat on the wooden bench, edges worn from a thousand restless mornings.
5:30 AM, the air at 65 degrees, cool against your skin.
The monkey swings, drunk on fermented fruit, branch to branch.
I see you there, breath catching on the edge of chaos.

[Chorus]
Monkey mind, my wild companion, leaping through the canopy of thoughts.
You can't stop the waves, Jon said, but learn to surf them.
Here on this bench, I hold you close, feel your frantic pulse.
Sandalwood incense curls around us, bitter green tea waits in the cup.
Settle now, in this small room, let the bowl's tone anchor you.

[Verse 2]
The bench creaks under your weight, a simple thing, oak from some forgotten tree.
Thoughts chatter like distant traffic outside, pulling you from the present.
Born in 1944, Jon founded this path, MBSR unfolding like a quiet revolution.
Your hands twitch on your lap, the monkey grabs at shadows.
I whisper to you, feel the cool wood, ground yourself here.

[Bridge]
In the gap between breaths, the fermented haze clears.
No more swinging wild, just the bowl's lingering hum.
Jon’s words echo: wherever you go, there you are.
This bench, this moment, tames the beast.

[Verse 3]
Early morning light filters through the window, 18 degrees Celsius wrapping us.
The monkey slows, exhausted from the leaps.
Sip the tea, bitter on your tongue, awakening.
I address you, my mind, my tool, my loved unrest.
Rest now, on this worn edge, in 1979's shadow.

[Chorus]
Monkey mind, my wild companion, leaping through the canopy of thoughts.
You can't stop the waves, Jon said, but learn to surf them.
Here on this bench, I hold you close, feel your frantic pulse.
Sandalwood incense curls around us, bitter green tea waits in the cup.
Settle now, in this small room, let the bowl's tone anchor you.

[Outro]