I see music as a lifetime affair.

Hear the words of Rory Gallagher, the troubadour whose guitar spoke more than many men’s tongues: “I see music as a lifetime affair.” This is no casual remark, but a declaration of devotion. Gallagher speaks as one who knew that art is not a fleeting dalliance, not a hobby to be picked up and laid down at will, but a companion for all of life’s journey. To call it a lifetime affair is to place it alongside the most sacred bonds, like love, like faith, like destiny. Music, for him, was not an occupation—it was the very rhythm of his existence.

The ancients would have understood him well. Among the Greeks, music was considered divine, a gift of Apollo and the Muses, entwined with philosophy, mathematics, and the soul itself. Pythagoras taught that harmony governed not only song, but the entire cosmos. To live with music was to live in harmony with the very structure of existence. Thus Gallagher, in declaring it a lifetime affair, speaks in the same voice as the ancients: to devote oneself to music is to bind one’s spirit to the eternal.

Consider Gallagher’s own life. Known for his tireless performances, he played thousands of shows, often with a raw intensity that seemed to consume him wholly. He never sought the trappings of fame, but gave himself entirely to his craft, as if to say that the stage was his temple and the guitar his prayer. His lifetime affair with music was not measured in years alone, but in his complete surrender to it, until it became indistinguishable from his very being. He did not merely play—he lived music.

History gives us other witnesses to this truth. Think of Johann Sebastian Bach, who composed tirelessly until his final days, his hands almost blind but his mind aflame with melody. For him too, music was a lifetime affair, a river that carried him from youth to death. Or think of Beethoven, who even in the silence of deafness continued to compose, proving that music dwells not in the ears but in the soul. These lives remind us that true devotion is not seasonal, but eternal.

The meaning of Gallagher’s words reaches beyond musicians. To see anything as a lifetime affair is to treat it as sacred, to give oneself to it in faithfulness and discipline. It reminds us that greatness is not born of brief passion, but of sustained love over years, through hardship and triumph alike. It is the difference between a spark that fades and a flame that endures. To bind yourself to your craft as to a lifetime affair is to let it shape you, refine you, and ultimately, define you.

The lesson for us is clear: find the song, the craft, the calling that stirs your soul, and devote yourself to it without reserve. Do not treat it as passing entertainment, but as a companion to walk beside you for all your days. Accept its demands, endure its trials, and rejoice in its gifts. In this way, your life itself will become art, a testimony of devotion that outlasts trophies or applause.

Practical action lies in cultivating constancy. If you are an artist, commit daily to your work, not only when inspiration strikes. If you are a student, let learning be your lifetime affair, not a temporary task. If you are a parent, let love and guidance for your children endure as a sacred charge. To live this way is to embrace depth over distraction, permanence over fleeting passion.

So let Gallagher’s words echo across the generations: “I see music as a lifetime affair.” Take them not only as the testament of a musician, but as wisdom for all who seek meaning. Bind yourself to what is noble, to what is true, to what your soul cannot live without. Make it your lifelong companion, and in the end, your life will not be scattered fragments, but a symphony—whole, enduring, and eternal.