Put It In The Box

I don’t know a lot about the singer-songwriter Dillon O’Brian. I found a few bits and pieces about him by searching the web. But there’s no Wikipedia page to reference, and no website for Dillon O’Brian’s music that I can find.

But, I sure am heartily impressed by the ONE song of his that I have in my collection!

Like a lot of my favorite songs, I found O’Brian’s “The Box” on one of my folk song compilation albums. And - darn! - I can’t even find a YouTube link for this song to share with you! Too bad - you’re just gonna have to trust me on this one. “The Box” is an amazing song! Please look up other tunes by Dillon O’Brian; I’m sure you’ll be impressed.

This song is a wonderful example of taking an ordinary object - a box - and seeing it not just from a technical standpoint - like, it’s square, it’s made of wood, etc. - but from a metaphorical point of view. The way a child might see it!

For example, maybe the box is a sanctuary, or maybe a TV:

Just a homemade box but I took a lot of pride in it

Four strong walls room enough for me to hide in it

And my one-way window held the outside world from me in a box on Channel 3

And it spoke in jingles, told me what I need is more, sent me to the store

Or maybe it’s a computer:

…this new box said I should get with it

So I got online, I learned to surf the internet with it

And like a brand new drug, first I felt much more alive on it

But it dragged me down, ‘cause a soul cannot survive on it

And finally, a casket?

…a big pine box, I put everything I hate in it

All my stuff, all that I could suffocate in it

If you build a box and you’re feeling kind of proud of it

Well, you should know all that matters will grow out of it

Oof! That packs a punch!

I’m deliberately focusing only on the lyrics on this song but honestly, the whole composition is glorious - a nice couple of soaring bridges, a gentle but distinctive guitar riff, even some claves thrown in there! 

The rhyming (“much more alive”, “cannot survive”)! The “opposites” (“everything I love in it”, “everything I hate in it”)! As a songwriter myself, these are the takeaways from great songs like this that I try to incorporate into my own ditties every day.

My closest song to “The Box” - i.e., in its metaphorical approach - is A Coat, A Hat, Some Shoes (although the metaphor doesn’t really come through until the bridge). Have a listen and see what you think.

Thank you, Mr. O’Brian, for your wonderful song!