Left Unread | The song that refused to let him quit — and then told him to write a book
The year was 2000. Noel Carol was deep in one of those moments every artist experiences — second-guessing everything, wondering if the dream was worth it, and gearing up to quit his dream.
Although discouraged, he became inspired to write a new song. By the time he reached the chorus, something shifted.
…but I’ve just gotta be true to myself
and not give up no matter what gets thrown my way
That line changed his mind about quitting. Right there, mid-song.
But it was the very next line that changed his whole life. He concluded …
I’ll not end up like some book on a shelf… Left Unread.
He didn’t just decide to keep making music. In that instant, he decided to write a book — one that would tell the stories behind his songs. A book that would not be left unread.
22 years went by before he sat down to write for the next 3½ years.
True, in July of 2022, the writing commenced. The complete tale behind Left Unread — the doubt, the decision, the defiance, the commitment to “not give up” — is now told in Chapter Twenty-three of his newly published memoir.
This is what it sounds like when a single lyric becomes a life’s mission.