Music has always been very visual for me. Often when I am listening to a song I can 'see' scenes from books or movies, usually overwriting any story the artist might be telling.
A few exceptions are Led Zeppelin, almost anything by Joni Mitchell, several songs by Robert Calvert, CXS, Suzanne Vega, David Bowie... okay, I guess it's more than a few exceptions.
It was an April morning when they told us we should go
And as I turned to you, you smiled at me, how could we say no?
With all the fun to have, to live the dreams we always had
Oh, the songs to sing, when we at last return again
Sending off a glancing kiss, to those who claim they know
Below the streets that steam and hiss,
The devil's in his hole
Oh, to sail away, to sandy lands and other days
Oh, to touch the dream, hides inside and never seen
Into the sun the south the north, at last the birds have flown
The shackles of commitment fell, in pieces on the ground
Oh, to ride the wind, to tread the air above the din
Oh, to laugh aloud, dancing I fought the crowds, yea
To seek the man whose pointing hand, the giant step unfolds
To guide us from the curving path, that churns up into stone
If one bell should ring, in celebration for a king
So fast the heart should beat, as proud the head with heavy feet
Days went by when you and I, bathed in eternal summers glow
As far away and distant, our mutual child did grow
Oh the sweet refrain, soothes the soul and calms the pain
Oh Albion remains, sleeping now to rise again
Wandering and wondering, what place to rest the search
The mighty arms of Atlas, hold the heavens upon the earth
The mighty arms of Atlas, hold the heavens from the earth
From the earth...
I know the way, know the way, know the way, know the way
Oh the mighty arms of Atlas, hold the heavens from the earth
Oh, a change is coming, feel these doors now closing
Is there no world for tomorrow, if we wait for today?
Great thread. Just discovered it. So many good songs. I too love the storytellers. Some of my favs.
PS...i love Before the Deluge posted earlier too!
Jackson Browne Late For The Sky
The words had all been spoken
And somehow the feeling still wasn't right
And still we continued on through the night
Tracing our steps from the beginning
Until they vanished into the air
Trying to understand how our lives has led us there
Looking hard into your eyes
There was nobody i'd ever known
Such an empty surprise to feel so alone
Now for me some words come easy
But i know that they don't mean that much
Compared with the things that are said when lovers touch
You never knew what i loved in you
I don't know what you loved in me
Maybe the picture of somebody you were hoping i might be
Awake again i can't pretend and i know i'm alone
And close to the end of the feeling we've known
How long have i been sleeping
How long have i been drifting alone through the night
How long have i been dreaming i could make it right
If i closed my eyes and tried with all my might
To be the one you need
Awake again i can't pretend and i know i'm alone
And close to the end of the feeling we've known
How long have i been sleeping
How long have i been drifting alone through the night
How long have i been running for that morning flight
Through the whispered promises and the changing light
Of the bed where we both lie
Late for the sky
Jackson Browne Further On
In my early years i hid my tears
And passed my days alone
Adrift on an ocean of loneliness
My dreams like nets were thrown
To catch the love that i'd heard of
In books and films and songs
Now there's a world of illusion and fantasy
In the place where the real world belongs
Still i look for the beauty in songs
To fill my head and lead me on
Though my dreams have come up torn and empty
As many times as love has come and gone
To those gentle ones my memory runs
To the laughter we shared at the meals
I filled their kitchens and living rooms
With my schemes and my broken wheels
It was never clear how far or near
The gates to my citadel lay
They were cutting from stone some dreams of their own
But they listened to mine anyway
I'm not sure what i'm trying to say
It could be i've lost my way
Though i keep a watch over the distance
Heaven's no closer than it was yesterday
And the angels are older
They know not to wait up for the sun
They look over my shoulder
At the maps and the drawings of the journey i've begun
Now the distance leads me farther on
Though the reasons i once had are gone
I keep thinking i'll find what i'm looking for
In the sand beneath the dawn
But the angels are older
They can see that the sun's setting fast
They look over my shoulder
At the vision of paradise contained in the light of the past
And they lay down behind me
To sleep beside the road till the morning has come
Where they know they will find me
With my maps and my faith in the distance
Moving farther on
First son of a riveter's son
And Billy was raised as the ship grew a shadow
Her great hull would blot out the light of the sun
And six days a week he would watch his poor father
A working man live like a slave
He'd drink every night and he'd dream of a future,
Of money he never would save
And Billy would cry when he thought of the future
Soon came a day when the bottle was broken
They launched the great ship out to sea
He felt he'd been left on a desolate shore
To a future he desperately wanted to flee
What else was there for a shipbuilder's son
A new ship to be built, new work to be done
One day he dreamed of the ship in the world
It would carry his father and he
To a place they would never be found
To a place far away from this town.
Trapped in the cage of the skeleton ship
All the workmen suspended like flies
Caught in the flare of acetylene light
A working man works till the industry dies
And Billy would cry when he thought of the future
Then what they call an industrial accident
Crushed those it couldn't forgive
They brought Billy's father back home in an ambulance
A brass watch, a cheque, maybe three weeks to live,
And what else was there for a riveter's son
A new ship to be built, new work to be done
That night, he dreamed of the ship in the world
It would carry his father and he
To a place they could never be found
To a place far away from this town,
A Newcastle ship without coals
They would sail to the island of souls.
A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn't take one more step.
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.
So bye-bye, Miss American Pie.
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."
Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock 'n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you're in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin' in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.
I started singin',
"bye-bye, Miss American Pie."
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."
Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone,
But that's not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me,
Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while Lennon read a book of Marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.
We were singing,
"bye-bye, Miss American Pie."
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."
Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singing,
"bye-bye, Miss American Pie."
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."
Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil's only friend.
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan's spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singing,
"bye-bye, Miss American Pie."
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn't play.
And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.
And they were singing,
"bye-bye, Miss American Pie."
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "this'll be the day that I die.
"this'll be the day that I die."
They were singing,
"bye-bye, Miss American Pie."
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "this'll be the day that I die."
Took a look down a westbound road,
Right away I made my choice
Headed out to my big two-wheeler,
I was tired of my own voice
Took a bead on the northern plains
And just rolled that power on
Twelve hours out of mackinaw city
Stopped in a bar to have a brew
Met a girl and we had a few drinks
And I told her what Id decided to do
She looked out the window a long long moment
Then she looked into my eyes
She didnt have to say a thing,
I knew what she was thinkin
Roll, roll me away,
Wont you roll me away tonight
I too am lost, I feel double-crossed
And Im sick of whats wrong and whats right
We never even said a word,
We just walked out and got on that bike
And we rolled
And we rolled clean out of sight
We rolled across the high plains
Deep into the mountains
Felt so good to me
Finally feelin free
Somewhere along a high road
The air began to turn cold
She said she missed her home
I headed on alone
Stood alone on a mountain top,
Starin out at the great divide
I could go east, I could go west,
It was all up to me to decide
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin
And my soul began to rise
And pretty soon
My heart was singin
Roll, roll me away,
Im gonna roll me away tonight
Gotta keep rollin, gotta keep ridin,
Keep searchin till I find whats right
And as the sunset faded
I spoke to the faintest first starlight
And I said next time
Next time
Well get it right
Dandelion don't tell no lies
Dandelion will make you wise
Tell me if she laughs or cries
Blow away dandelion
I'm afraid there's no denying
I'm just a dandelion
a fate I don't deserve.
Here's the story of a brother by the name of Othello.
He liked white women and he liked green Jell-O.
And a punk named Iago who made himself a menace
Because he didn't like Othello, the Moor of Venice.
Now Othello got married to a chick named Desdemona.
But he went off to the wars and he left her alona.
It was a mona--
A groana--
He left her alona.
He didn't write a letter and didn't telefona.
Desdemona she was fearful, she was chastity-tight.
She was the daughter of the Duke. Yeah, she was totally white.
Now Othello loved Desi like Adonis loved Venus.
And Desi loved Othello --
'Cuz he had a big... sword.
He said, I'm gonna shaft the Moor.
How're you gonna do it? Tell us.
Well, I know his tragic flaw: He's too damn jealous.
I need a dupe, I need a dope, I need a kind of a schmo.
So he found himself a chump sucker by the name of Cassio.
So he plants on him Desdemona's handkerchiefs.
So Othello starts to wondering just maybe if
while he's been out fighting, Commanding an army.
Desi and Cass were playing hide the salami.
Salami, salami, s-s-salami.
So he comes back home and stuck a pillow on her face.
Kills her and soliloquizes 'bout his disgrace.
But there's Emelia at the door who we met in Act IV.
Who says, "You big dummy. She weren't no 'ho."
She was pure, clean, virginal too.
So why'd you have to go and make her face turn blue?
It's true.
It's you.
Now what you gonna do?
And Othello says, Damn, this is getting pretty scary.
So he pulled out a blade and committed hara-kiri.
Do that funky Moor thing, white boy.
Iago got caught but he probably copped a plea.
Loaded up his bags
And moved to Beverly.
Hills, that is.
"Persevera, per severa, per se vera." Persist through difficulties, even though it is hard.
Proud Member of THOOOTP.
Buy my best friend's fantastic fantasy book! Pulse is also available here.
Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall.
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!"
Here comes the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see
And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously.
"I didn't do it," he says, and he throws up his hands
"I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand.
I saw them leavin'," he says, and he stops
"One of us had better call up the cops."
And so Patty calls the cops
And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin'
In the hot New Jersey night.
Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around.
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that.
In Paterson that's just the way things go.
If you're black you might as well not show up on the street
'Less you wanna draw the heat.
Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops.
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around
He said, "I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights
They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates."
And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head.
Cop said, "Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead"
So they took him to the infirmary
And though this man could hardly see
They told him that he could identify the guilty men.
Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in,
Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye
Says, "Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!"
Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
Four months later, the ghettos are in flame,
Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame.
"Remember that murder that happened in a bar?"
"Remember you said you saw the getaway car?"
"You think you'd like to play ball with the law?"
"Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?"
"Don't forget that you are white."
Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
Cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break
We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello
Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow.
You'll be doin' society a favor.
That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver.
We want to put his ass in stir
We want to pin this triple murder on him
He ain't no Gentleman Jim."
Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
But he never did like to talk about it all that much.
It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay
And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way
Up to some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along a trail.
But then they took him to the jailhouse
Where they try to turn a man into a mouse.
All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance.
The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums
To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum
And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger.
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger.
And though they could not produce the gun,
The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
And the all-white jury agreed.
Rubin Carter was falsely tried.
The crime was murder "one," guess who testified?
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride.
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game.
Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
An innocent man in a living hell.
That's the story of the Hurricane,
But it won't be over till they clear his name
And give him back the time he's done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
It'd take you a long time to blow up or shoot all the sheep in this country, but one diseased banana...could kill 'em all.
"Persevera, per severa, per se vera." Persist through difficulties, even though it is hard.
Proud Member of THOOOTP.
Buy my best friend's fantastic fantasy book! Pulse is also available here.
Auleliel wrote:The Point always freaked me out as a kid.
Really? Why?
hmm...
I was 11 when it was shown.
Were you younger than that when you first saw/heard it?
I was about that age, but that was only about 11 years ago for me, so the cultural context was somewhat different I suppose. Sort of like when I first (and last) saw part of the cartoon of The Hobbit, which freaked me out for similar reasons. It was like being stoned without being stoned, and I'd prefer not to be stoned at all, tyvm.
"Persevera, per severa, per se vera." Persist through difficulties, even though it is hard.
Proud Member of THOOOTP.
Buy my best friend's fantastic fantasy book! Pulse is also available here.
Auleliel wrote:The Point always freaked me out as a kid.
Really? Why?
hmm...
I was 11 when it was shown.
Were you younger than that when you first saw/heard it?
I was about that age, but that was only about 11 years ago for me, so the cultural context was somewhat different I suppose. Sort of like when I first (and last) saw part of the cartoon of The Hobbit, which freaked me out for similar reasons. It was like being stoned without being stoned, and I'd prefer not to be stoned at all, tyvm.
Don't watch "Yellow Submarine", either, then.
EZ Board Survivor
"Dreaming isn't good for you unless you do the things it tells you to." -- Three Dog Night (via the GI)
Thank you. I won't.
Gah! Now the song's stuck in my head!
"Persevera, per severa, per se vera." Persist through difficulties, even though it is hard.
Proud Member of THOOOTP.
Buy my best friend's fantastic fantasy book! Pulse is also available here.
Is anyone familiar with Paul Kelly? An Aussie icon! Amazing storyteller. This one is a tongue-in-cheek tale about travel woes.
We argued on the channel train to Paris
The vin rouge helped us make it sweet again
But by the time that we got down to Lyon
Everything I said was wrong and you cursed me in the rain
We split up for a while in Barcelona
We met up six days later in Madrid
I was hoping that the break would make things go a little better for us
And for a little while it almost did
Now I'm in a bar in Copenhagen
And i'm trying hard to forget your name
And I'm staring at the label on a bottle of cerveza
And every fucking city feels the same
You said to call you when I got to London
A French girl told me that you'd left a note
I said to her "I like your accent" and she thought I sounded funny
So we ended up drinking in Soho
Foolishly I followed you to Dublin
Like a ghost I walked the streets of Temple Bar
And all the bright young things were throwing up their Guinness in the gutters
And once I thought I saw you from afar
Now I'm in a nightclub in Helsinki
And they're playing La Vida Loca once again
And I can't believe I'm dancing to this crap but I'm a chance here
And every fucking city sounds the same
At a cafe in the port of Amsterdam
An E-mail from you said you'd gone to Rome
For a minute I thought maybe but my funds were running low
And anyway it sounded like you weren't alone
So I headed north until I got to Hamburg
A chilly city suits a troubled soul
And on the Reeperbahn I paid a woman far too much
To kick me out before I'd even reached my goal
Now I'm in a restaurant in Stockholm
And the waiter here wants me to know his name
And I can order sandwiches in seven different languages
But every fucking city looks the same
Arriverderci, au revoir, aufwiedersen, hasta la vista baby
Yeah, every fucking city's just the same
I am just a poor boy and my storys seldom told
Ive squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jest, still the man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest, hmmmm
When I left my home and my family, I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know
Li la li...
Asking only workmans wages, I come lookin for a job, but I get no offers
Just a comeon from the whores on 7th avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there
Now the years are rolling by me, they are rockin even me
I am older than I once was, and younger than Ill be, thats not unusual
No it isnt strange, after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same
After changes we are more or less the same
Li la li...
And Im laying out my winter clothes, wishing I was gone, goin home
Where the new york city winters arent bleedin me, leadin me to go home
In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains
The Waifs are a folk rock band from Western Australia - many good stories in their songs. This one resonates particularly for me - a nostalgic look at returning to one's hometown after a long absence.
Walking down the main street of the town where I was born
Looking at these things I've seen so many times before
I take a deep breath, smile and kick a stone along the ground
Been so long, since I've been around
There's comfort in the way that everything still looks the same
People that I bump into; they call me by my name
It almost feels as though I never even left this town
Been so long, since I've been around
My girlfriend lived on Hawdon Street - man was she a sight
Sometimes I would sneak into her bedroom late at night
Now she's not there, I'm told her family long since left the town
Been so long, since I've been around
Yeah many of my friends found some other place they'd rather be
But I still know of one good mate, she gonna keep me company
I think I'm gonna call her up, w'll go and paint the town
Been so long, since I've been around
I stopped on by her place, years ago I knew her well
"Let's go drink to old times at the Adelaide Hotel"
She said it's twenty years now since they shut that old pub down
Been so long, since I've been around
Yeah but the hospital's still standing, down over by the river shore
That's the place where I took my first breath, so many years before
I take a deep breath now and feel my chest begin to pound
Been so long, since I've been around
Now I'm lying by the river feeling lazy in the shade
Children shout and splash about in water where I played
And I'm thinking I could stay a while, maybe settle down
Been so long, since I've been around
Ooh! I love the Waifs! Didn't know that song though, awesome.
"Persevera, per severa, per se vera." Persist through difficulties, even though it is hard.
Proud Member of THOOOTP.
Buy my best friend's fantastic fantasy book! Pulse is also available here.
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