B.C. boy writes emotional song for grandfather he never met

Sawatsky Sign-Off: Chase's Song Adam meets a 13-year-old from Central Saanich and finds out why his first original song is proving so meaningful to strangers.

CENTRAL SAANICH, B.C. — If you wanted Chase Varnes to beam as a baby, all you had to so what give him some Tupperware to bang on.

“And then it went to all our pots coming out every day,” his mom Rena recalls with a smile. “And he could hold a beat!”

So nobody was surprised by how happy Chase got after receiving his first real drum kit at age four.

“Well they made noise,” Chase says. “So that was probably interesting for me.”

Making sounds of all sorts was so interesting for Chase that he learned how to play piano too — and just last year decided to teach himself how to play guitar.

“And we never had to encourage it,” Rena says, adding she never once had to ask Chase to practise. “He just did it on his own.”

Despite not being able to read music, Chase also figured out how to play covers before feeling compelled to write a country song of his own.

But the boy struggled with the genre’s stereotypical subject matter.

“It‘s trucks and beers and girls and guns,” Chase laughs. “That doesn’t make sense for a 13-year-old.”

What does a kid know about love and loss, Chase thought, until he remembered the grandpa he’ll never forget.

“There’s always been a connection between me and my papa,” Chase says, adding his grandpa died of brain tumour just days before he was born.

The lyrics to Chase’s song begin with, "I wish I could say I love you / I wish I could say it face to face."

Rather than regret, more than mourning, Chase’s composition is about honouring and comforting.

"You’re always in my heart," Chase sings while strumming his acoustic guitar. “We’re only here for so long until we see you again.”

“A lot of people have experienced deep loss,” Rena says. “So they connect to it.”

So after a decade of sitting behind his drum kit at home, Chase has started performing his first original song front and centre at public markets, and sharing his songs on social media

And he’s grateful his song is proving meaningful for others.

“(Strangers) are crying,” Chase says of the positive feedback he’s received from people who stop to listen to his performances on the sidewalk. “I just like to use my abilities to make other people happy.”

Chase says he hopes his grandpa is proud of him. And one of the lessons he’s learned from him is that we’re not promised tomorrow, which is why we should all share whatever gifts we’re given today.