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"You Can Cope" ~ The Story.

I thought I would be telling this story in a Video one day but time is flying and the right time has never come ..Today seems to be the day to tell it....

While I was still living in North Vancouver, I was regularly giving private voice lessons.
I really enjoyed teaching,had such a variety of pretty fantastic students.

One day this shy soft spoken musician in his early 20's came to me wanting to become a stronger singer as he put it , so he could get his original tunes across more comfortably...and impress his then girlfriend....he seemed to really love her... always mentioned her with such gentle care...

I observed his hesitance and "fear" of being too loud but his will seemed to be there.
His progress was cautiously good...he never missed a lesson always did the work.... always pre scheduled and confirmed his times.

One day I hadn't received his confirmation for a lesson and It worried me...not at all like him...I emailed him 1st... when I heard nothing I finally called him... couldn't reach him....and finally he was a "no show" ugh....I couldn't understand what could have happened.....

I won't ever forget the rainy Monday morning going in to work with this heavy on my heart.... I was early..so I was getting things prepared to start my day at the Property Management Company I was working at... at the time...when there was a quiet knock on the door.... it was one of the tradesmen that frequently did work for the properties...ironically it was through him that this student I am telling you about had wound up becoming my student.

He had a strange vibe about him and when he quietly said Hey Deb, did you hear about....won't say his name.

I said what? Why? No I haven't heard anything...I have been trying to reach him about his lesson and. never heard back..I started to instinctively feel dread....when the tradesman said..... Deb, Last night, when all the traffic in the city was backed up on Both Bridges....it was because of 2 suicides one on each bridge..I found myself frozen with my heart sinking with every breath, as he continued to say my student jumped off the bridge last night....
Seems his girlfriend was leaving him....the night before they were in the car going across the bridge in rush hour traffic at a crawl and they were arguing..suddenly, he opened the car door walked out and to the bridge railing and then he..lept.
After he left, I sat in the dark sobbing at my desk....while my past and present suddenly collided....I found myself reaching for whatever piece of paper that was on hand while words just poured from my heart...
Visions flashing between my student and my Mum, who had committed suicide when I was 3 1/2 years old...finding her in her bed, them taking her away...my students soft spoken voice and gentle demeanor, moments we shared while we worked together...all of this swirling around in my heart and mind as the words flew onto that piece of paper..
Getting through that day at work was as if in some kind of dream state.... don't even know how I did it.....when the day finally ended, I picked up that piece of paper, tucked in my bag and brought it home.
When I arrived home I placed it on my music stand..I never looked at it again, for a couple of weeks.
One night after a long day at work, I came home lit candles stared out at my then stunning city view... found myself picking up my guitar, getting that piece of paper on my music stand..and..as though it was already written, I started to play and sing the song....there was no toiling, no figuring out....I may have tweaked a word or two but the music and melody poured out instantly....

"You Can Cope"
When I started to share the song...cautiously because of the stigma of the subject matter, responses were really good overall...except one person saying to me that they would. change the title because "Don't you think the title was a little harsh"? I remember without hesitation saying "Don't you think Suicide is as well"? So, the the title remained.

It took 7 years from when that song came full circle with lyric music and melody to finally getting recorded and a video completed. I am still forever grateful to the people involved that helped this all come to fruition! Their combined faith and talents made this as special as it is....it would never have happened without them.
All I had was faith that this message of hope would find its way out there somehow....and with the right people in playing and recording the music and the right videographer all who donated their time and talents...it finally did....with a Letter of Support from the Vancouver Crisis Center, it was finally released..When in doubt, always please, be kind. ...with Love Always, Debra Whyte ~ `メღ

Can be purchased at CD Baby ~
https://www.cdbabylicensing.com/track/MzUzMzc3Ni02YjQ2NWY

And itunes ~
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/you-can-cope-single/id712121817