mister shane zachary hanson

' 'back to the street where we began
feeling as good as lovers can, you know
yeah we're feeling so good

it started out with a soft, gentle rhythm. like the sound of water dripping from a leaf into a pool of water just feet below, it was quiet, hardly able to be heard. yet it built up soon enough, progressing from just a steady drip-drop of preparation into a newer, faster, more complex rhythm. a voice soon joined it; a male's, soft, yet also like the steady drip-drop of water off a leaf after a springtime shower; it would steadily build up stronger and into another rhythm entirely. a short breath was taken in between every few phrases or so as the rhythm of the guitar continued, and as the voice wove into words of a well-known melody.

"hey there delilah,
what it's like in new york city?
i'm a thousand miles away,
but girl, tonight you look so pretty, yes you do,
times square can't shine as bright as you,
i swear it's true,"

it had been one of the first songs he'd ever heard, at the young age of twelve. it had become his favorite song to sing and play since then. his power to wow an audience with a song like this, as mature as this one, was almost unheard of and most definitely hard to believe; yet it had happened, when he sung it at his school's talent show, and now, miles away fromt he south carolina school he used to go to, in a garden in the middle of england much less, he revived the verses, singing them with ease, his young voice just barely into puberty able to spin the words around with such beauty that so many solo singers had these days when it was just them and their guitar, all alone without a bass, an electric, or the drummer, alone without a piano or keyboardist, alone without the back-up vocals, alone without the lights and the flashes and the screams of thousands of fans.

"hey there delilah,
don't you worry about the distance,
i'm right there if you get lonely,
give this song another listen,
close your eyes,
listen to my voice it's my disguise,
i'm by your side,"

the verse ended and transitioned easily into the simple yet beautiful chorus that was repeated thrice throughout the song. it was more vocally challenging than any other parts in the song, which was all up to himself, unlike other songs he'd learned; if there was a mistake, it was his fault. there was nobody else there to mask it. if he missed a note, messed up the rhythm, sped up the tempo too much, it would all be on him. yet there was no point in being ashamed of himself for making a mistake when he was alone here, in a place with very few other signs of human life besides himself. the small breeze played with the strings of his hoodie, but he paid no attention to it; he was in his happy place you could say, a place where nobody could interrupt him, a place where it was just him, his guitar, and his voice, and absolutely nothing else.

"oh, it's what you do to me,
oh, it's what you do to me,
oh, it's what you do to me,
oh, it's what you do to me,
what you do to me,"

the song then followed the paths of so many others, winding easily into another verse, this one mostly different from the first in the words he had used, though the rhythm of the guitar, its notes, and the rhythm of the lyrics. though still, it was able to keep attention, inspire people, make them want to stay around and hear more, which was what a musician's job was, in all honesty and reality.

"hey there delilah,
i know times are getting hard,
but just believe me girl,
someday i'll pay the bills with this guitar,
we'll have it good,
we'll have the life we knew we would,
my word is good,

hey there delilah,
i've got so much left to say,
if every simple song i wrote for you,
could take your breath away,
i'd write it all,
even more in love with me you'd fall,
we'd have it all,

oh, it's what you do to me,
oh, it's what you do to me,
oh, it's what you do to me,
oh, it's what you do to me,"

it was around here that he noticed another presence, but his closed eyes didn't take in the sight of whomever it was, so focused he was on the song. if they wished to stay, then they could; if they wanted to talk to him, they could, after he was done with the song. if they wanted to leave, then they were free to. it didn't matter to them what option they chose; all that mattered to him was the song, which was coming up to the bridge now, which was personally, shane's favorite part of the entire song. it differed from the monotone set by the verses and the chorus, though the rhythm of the guitar stayed the same. now, what he liked the most was the vary in the notes the guitar now used, as well as the way the lyrics differed from the rest. it wasn't exactly a hard part that he was proud to have mastered after hours of work; sometimes the favored parts were the easier parts. most of the time, actually.

"a thousand miles seems pretty far,
but they've got planes, and trains, and cars,
i'd walk to you if i had no other way,
our friends would all make fun of us,
and we'll just laugh along because
we know that none of them have felt this way,
delilah i can promise you
that by the time that we get through,
the world will never ever be the same,
and you're to blame,"

he noticed the presence still staying throughout the entire bridge, but once more, he paid no attention to it. this song was a work of art to shane, one that could not be touched or interrupted all throguhout the display of it. if it was, the entire effect was ruined, and that was something shane most certainly did not want.

"hey there delilah,
you be good and don't you miss me,
two more years and you'll be done with school,
and i'll be making history like i do,
you know it's all because of you,
we can do whatever we want to,
hey there delilah here's to you,
this one's for you,

oh, it's what you do to me,
oh, it's what you do to me,
oh, it's what you do to me,
oh, it's what you do to me,
what you do to me,
oh, whoa, whoa, oh, whoa oh oh oh oh, oh."

the song ended with him drawing the pick over each string, and with his voice fading into non-existence, his eyes finally opening. only then did he acknowledge the presence of the other person, taking in their appearance. immediately, the seriousness that had overtaken him during the song melted away and he became shane, the immature fourteeny ear old again, instead of shane, the amazing musician.

"hi! did you like that?" he said, grinning at the person.