song

I've got some lyrics for you all today.

First up, the not so serious ones. I woke up this morning with a few lines of this song going through my head. I'm not sure why. I haven't heard it in years, and I never particularly liked before anyway... It's by Jennifer Kimball, a very interesting pop artist that I suggest you all check out, at least for a little. Her lyrics range from the near-cheesey to the awe-inspiring. My song today is from the first category:

Kissing in the Car
You drink too much, love, you wear too much black.
You're looking up for true North as you lie on your back.
Well, you can take your lovely sermon and preach it far away
where you'll keep your hands to yourself when you pray...

Enough of that. Here's part of a more interesting song, in my opinion...

Ganga's Song
And they'll sing for me, the men from school,
a silver dollar tune.
I'll fly over the villas of Florence and Brittany,
and graveyards with headstones for boys
who died in the 2nd World War.

That's a beautiful song. One of her best, in my opinion. Sung from the point of view of an over a century year old man lying on his deathbed, recounting his life and asking for death.

Now, even more songs. I'll go to the heaviest first.

Wings - Josh Ritter
at night we crossed the border following a Black robe
to the edge of the reservation—to Cataldo Mission
where the saints and all the martyrs look down on dying converts
what makes the water holy she says is that that it’s the closest thing to rain
I stole a mule from Anthony—I helped Anne up upon it
and we rode to Coeur d’Alene—through Harrison and Wallace
they were blasting out the tunnels—making way for the light of learning
when Jesus comes a’calling she said he’s coming round the mountain on a train

it’s my home—last night I dreamt that I grew wings
I found a place where they could hear me when I sing

we floated on to Hanford on a lumber boat up river
past the fisheries and the milltowns like a stretch of future graveyards
she was driven to distraction—said I wonder what will happen
when they find out they’re mistaken and the land is too changed to ever change
we waded through the marketplace—someone’s ship had come in
there was silver and begonias—dynamite and cattle
there were hearts as big as apples and apples in the shape of Mary’s heart
I said inside this gilded cage a songbird always looks so plain

it’s my home—last night I dreamt that I grew wings
I found a place where they could hear me when I sing.

and so they came with cameras—breaking through the morning mist
press and businessmen—tycoons—Episcopal philanthropists
lost in their appraisal of the body of a woman
but all we saw were lowlands—clouds clung to mountains without strings

and at last we saw some people huddled up against
the rain that was descending like railroad spikes and hammers
they were headed for the border—walking and then running
then they were gone into the fog but Anne said underneath their jackets she saw wings

That's an absolutely stunning piece to hear... Just his wonderful voice with simple, quiet guitar backup and an occasional piano chords...

I got that from a sampler lent to be by Langford in China. The other good song on the mix is "The Bell", by Stephen Smith... This is a wonderful, meaningful peice of antiwar poetry... I suggest you follow the link bellow and hear it, along with seeing his odd little music video. Then I suggest you post these lyrics everywhere you can. They're amazing.

The Bell
"Oh where are you going?" said the man at his desk
"I'm going to a new world," said the child and he stood
And he stood, and he stood, and t'were well that he stood
"I'm going to a new world," said the child and he stood

"Oh I'm sounding drums of war," said the man at his desk
"Oh, I will not fight your war," said the child and he stood
And he stood, and he stood, and t'were well that he stood
"I will not fight your war," said the child and he stood

"Oh, but don't you love your country?" said the man at his desk
"Yes, I do, but you don't," said the child and he stood
And he stood, and he stood, and t'were well that he stood
"I do but you don't," said the child and he stood

"Oh, but do you know the truth?" said the man at his desk
"Yes, you lie and call it truth," said the child and he stood
And he stood, and he stood, and t'were well that he stood
"You lie and call it truth," said the child and he stood

"Oh, you must be scared to die," said the man at his desk
"No, I'm prepared and you're scared," said the child and he stood
And he stood, and he stood, and t'were well that he stood
"I'm prepared and you're scared," said the child and he stood

"Oh, I think I hear a bell," said the man at his desk
"Yes, it's ringing you to hell," said the child and he stood
And he stood, and he stood, and t'were well that he stood
"Yes, it's ringing you to hell," said the child and he stood