Tori Amos + Survival

Tori's Letters To Survivors

Dear Friends,

For the past two years, I've sung "Me and a Gun" at every concert as a way of healing the place inside myself that has been hurt, enraged, and numbed by violence. For many years, I shut down that place inside myself that needed to rage, cry, ask questions, and basically just express herself. I made a conscious choice when I put "Me and a Gun" on the record not to stay a victim anymore.You see, I was still a victim in my own mind from an experience that had happened a long time ago: I was torturing myself. Passion, joy, and love were not things I felt I could have or deserved anymore. I've been encouraged by wise ones, who taught me how to develop inner tools where I can understand these scared places in my being.

It took me many years to make the decision to deal with this, but a bitter woman was what I was becoming and when I was young I always saw myself as a passionate woman. I would say, "Well, she's dead." and the wise ones said, "It's your choice, Tori,if you want to bring her back to life, you can. She's only been sleeping - alone, in a very dark corner. It's your choice and there is help out there."

Healing takes courage and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it!

Love and support,
TORI AMOS