the first time i listened to this i wasn't giving it my full attention and mostly thought "this is nice relaxing music i could fall asleep to." then i played it again and followed along with the lyrics; more than a few tears were shed. very beautiful, from both a musical and lyrical standpoint! i've never played FFIX and am not familiar with the context in which the original was used, but i feel as though i understand the piece in spite of that. and i think that's a testament to the power of video game music/arrangements: it can transport you to other words without ever having set foot there yourself. this song is definitely a new favorite of mine!!