Song(s) of the Week

Kyle's Pick-Lantern by Josh Ritter

I've probably heard this song dozens of times, usually in the background. It's got a catchy melody & hook, but I never gave a thought to pay attention to any of the lyrics that aren't "be the light of my lantern, be my light". After the first couple of listens this week, I had a preconceived notion of what I thought the song was about. I need a light in the dark world. It's a theme Josh Ritter's visited before, in one of my favorite turns of phrase from him, he says "save all of your light for those who can't sleep at night". I think the song is about the symbiotic need humans have for each other. They need what others give them, but maybe more importantly, they need to give something up to the other person to survive. Where we cock it up is when we care more about what we're getting than what we're giving, & the song gives lots of examples in nature when that happens.

"tell me what's the point of light that you have to strike a match to find?"

I think the point of that line, is that the light's no good when you create it for yourself, it's better to get it from someone else, "hold it high for you, I'll hold it high for me".

Andrew's Pick-Keep Eye on Other's Gain by Bonnie "Prince" Billy

Some songwriters have a distinct voice when it comes to their songs. I'm not talking about their physical voice, I'm talking about their persona as a songwriter. Great songwriters can take on their own voice as well as sing as another character. I think "Keep Eye on Other's Gain" takes on a character he doesn't like, or at least one he doesn't agree with. At first listen, it sounds like the words are coming from someone who may have a compassionate perspective on wealth & possessions.

"others don't have a bed like mine, they sleep out in the rain. others hearts are guarded from the blows of random pain."

Letting this one soak in a bit, though, it becomes clear that the singer sees that as being by design. The song is seen as advice, most likely to a son or daughter. The person who sleeps out in the rain didn't have the same advice that he's giving his child. The advice, ultimately, is to "stay ahead" of everyone else, especially the guy who sleeps out in the rain. He's not cruel enough to say, "tough luck" to the guy, but he's not going to help him either. The writer of the song ignores that symbiotic need for humans to help each other as explained in the first song. It's a cynical view of the song, I know, but in many ways I think Oldham is a cynical songwriter. The song ignores what I was always taught as a kid to not worry about what other people have, it says the opposite, to keep eye on what everybody else has. Otherwise, they might have something you don't.

That's it for this week, I like how if you look closely enough, you can find correlations between the two songs.





(sorry I couldn't find the original)

This week's song of the week: The Fairest of the Seasons by Nico. Enjoy.



now that its time
now that the hour hand has landed at the end
now that its real
now that the dreams have given all they had to lend
i want to know
do i stay or do i go
and maybe try another time
and do i really have a hand in my forgetting?

now that i've tried
now that i've finally found that this is not the way
now that i've turned
now that i feel its time to spend the night away
i want to know
do i stay or do i go
and maybe finally split the rhyme
and do i really understand the undernetting?

yes, and the morning has me
looking in your eyes
and seeing mine warning me
to read the signs carefully

now that it's light
now that candle's falling smaller in my mind
now that its here
now that i'm almost not so very far behind
i want to know
do i stay or do i go
and maybe follow another sign
and do i really have a song that i can ride on?

now that i can
now that its easy, ever easy all around
now that i'm here
now that i'm falling to the sunlights and a song
i want to know
do i stay or do i go
and do i have to do just one
and can i choose again if i should lose the reason?

yes, and the morning has me
looking in your eyes
and seeing mine warning me
to read the signs more carefully

now that i smile
now that i'm laughing even deeper inside
now that i see
now that i finally found the one thing i denied
its now i know
do i stay or do i go
and it is finally i decide
that i'll be leaving
in the fairest of the seasons

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Big Kick, Plain Scrap-Nick Lowe, Labour of Lust

Tryin' to Get to Heaven-Bob Dylan, Time Out of Mind

Five Hearts Breaking-Alejandro Escovedo

Drifter's Escape-Bob Dylan



Fairest of the Seasons-Nico

Happy Friday, friends...

andrew

Song(s) of the Week

My ol' pal & I decided to swap songs of the week, songs that mean a lot to us that we want to share with each other. We may or may not have heard the song the other chose to give us. At the end of the week, we tell each other what we feel about each others' songs. This is the first go at it, we'll see if it sticks.

Kyle's Pick-We Will All Be Changed by Seryn

We Will All Be Changed by Seryn is a big, ambitious, "conquer the world" type songs. I like songs like these, especially when the craft of the song lives up to the scope of it. A big song has a big sound to it, & has a subject matter that is open to different interpretations to it, at least for the listener if not for the writer of the song. It can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. I can only speculate on the writer's motivation or inspiration for this song, I can only tell you what it might mean for me as I listen to it. It doesn't stop there, though, I can hear it couple months from now & it might mean something completely different.

Our Pastor always says that when you read & study the bible, it changes you. This is the first thing I thought of when I heard this song. I hope this is happening, but I'm not always so sure. If I am, I don't feel like I'm changing too much. I feel like I'm always falling into the same old habits & the same old paralyzing mindsets. One of those paralyzing mindsets I have is the thought that people don't really change. My father in law, in his infinite wisdom, always gives the analogy that women marry men because they like the shell of the man, but they hope to shape him into something more. Men marry women hoping that they'll always stay the same. I wonder who comes out on top in that transaction, I'm not sure anybody does.

I think when we're at our best we make the best of what doesn't change or what we can't change, & I think that's the point of the song. There's a lot of that prayer that they say at the aa meetings about changing what can be changed & accepting what we can't change. The song's ultimate message is changing myself first. Maybe if I change myself first, others around me will change accordingly. Maybe they won't change, but maybe at least in my mind they will be the best of themselves that I see before all the bad things that I choose not to see.



Verse 1
Bb
Somehow we've gone and lost our way
Eb
This is where we are
Bb
Oh you lift your rusty brow
Eb
Little thoughts have weighed your vision down
Bb Eb
We move slowly, sewn in time

(We can only hope for this)

Chorus
Bb
We can shape but can't control

These possibilities to grow
Eb
Weeds amongst the push and pull

Waiting on the wind to take us
Bb
We can write with ink and pen

But we will sew with seeds instead
Eb
Starting with words we've said
Bb
And we will all be changed

Instrumental
Bb Eb
Oh, oh, oh--- Oh, oh, oh---

Verse 2
Bb
Speak now don't tarry on like it's
Eb
Always gonna be
Bb
Hold child this expectation
Eb
But don't forget to love

Chorus 2
Bb
We can shape but can't control

These possibilities to grow
Eb
Weeds amongst the push and pull

Waiting on the wind to take us
Bb
We can write with ink and pen

But we will sew with seeds instead
Eb
Starting with words we've said

And we will all be changed

Bridge 1
Bb Eb Bb
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (Break)

Banjo/guitar solo with Bass

Bass
Eb Bb G Bb

Bridge 2 2x
Eb Bb
We look for home
G F Bb
But we'll never know
Eb Bb
Distance will grow
G F Bb
But I'll always know

Bridge 3 (just bass drum)
Eb Bb
We look for home
G F Bb (A capella)
But we'll never know
Eb Bb
Distance will grow
G F Bb
But I'll always know

Andrew's Pick-Hello In There, By John Prine

John Prine's music, to me, has always had the sound of a Saturday afternoon. You know how everyday has it's own kind of feel to it, some stronger than others. Saturday afternoon & Sunday morning have a strong feel to them, maybe it's because they are different from every other day. John Prine captures the feeling of Saturday afternoon, it's slow & poignant & usually lonely. It holds your attention very well. When I say Saturday afternoon, I'm not talking about football games or barbecues or anything like that, I'm talking about after the thrill of not working is gone & wondering how your going to fill the hours. Hello in There feels just like Saturday afternoon, some lazy kind of a.m. radio station that might put something interesting on because they know nobody's listening that could give a shit, but they might reach one person.

Hello in There's about getting old, obviously. It's a small song. There's no ambiguity about what it's about. When sung by a young person, it might sound condescending. "Hello in there!" sounds like "anybody home?". That old person might not know what's going on, they're wits are gone, they might be crazy, talking about some person that nobody knew to begin with. When sung by the cancer ravaged voice of John Prine, it touches upon a spark that burns deep & is not easily felt. The refrain could go either way, too.

you know that old trees just grow stronger?
and old rivers just grow wilder everyday?

The song has a "what about me?" feel to it. Am I like the old tree & the river, or am I some relic left on the shelf to be forgotten?

The song always reminds me of my grandpa. He was always on top of his game mentally, if not always physically. As he grew older, he'd sit in a chair just close enough to everybody to be seen, but too far away to be heard or to hear anybody. He always had some kind of wisdom to impart, the key was whether or not you chose to get close enough to him to pay any kind of attention. I know I didn't always listen to him as I should. As I'm writing this, I remember that Gramps died five years ago this month, & I sure wish I'd had a couple more conversations with him. I'm not sure if it's better to be there mentally while your body is failing you or vice versa. It must be hard to have, to quote a song, "a head full of ideas driving me insane", or to be not all there for a while before you go. I guess everybody's worth listening to & paying attention to. I know Gramps sure was.

Happy Monday, friends.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Buckets of Rain-Bob Dylan

Cruel to be Kind-Nick Lowe

Last Leaf on the Tree-Tom Waits

Baseball-Breathe Owl Breathe

Mutineer-Warren Zevon

andrew


andrew