The road is long With many a winding turn That leads us to who knows where Who knows where But I’m strong Strong enough to carry him He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
So on we go His welfare is of my concern No burden is he to bear We’ll get thereFor I know He would not encumber me He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
If I’m laden at all I’m laden with sadness That everyone’s heart Isn’t filled with the gladness Of love for one another
It’s a long, long road From which there is no return While we’re on the way to there Why not shareAnd the load Doesn’t weigh me down at all He ain’t heavy he’s my brother
He’s my brother He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother, he ain’t heavy
Oops my original post wasn’t what Jim was looking for in the prompt. I didn’t have enough coffee, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
The Hollies are a British rock group best known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. The band originally was formed by Alan Clarke and Graham Nash who were childhood buds. But Nash left six years later to form Crosby, Stills and Nash.
There are different stories on how the group was named . I like the one that says it was a tribute to Buddy Holly.
Karen and Richard’s voice’s together were exceptional but like many artists during that time they struggled. Richard with Quaaludes and Karen with anorexia nervosa. Musicians didn’t have easy, the stress was ludicrous. I’m sure some of it was self inflicted but they weren’t alone.
“Herb Alpert asked Richard to re-work a Bacharach/David song “(They Long to Be) Close to You“, which had first been recorded in 1963 by Richard Chamberlain, and Dionne Warwick the following year. Richard Carpenter decided the song would work as a standalone piece, and wrote an arrangement from scratch without being influenced by any earlier recordings.” ~ wiki link is posted above.
I’ve heard Chamberlain and Warwick’s version, I prefer the Carpenter’s version. Same as I prefer their version We’ve Only Just Begun.
I never understood at the time why the album A Kind of Hush wasn’t certified Platinum. I thought it was an awesome album. Though I did prefer Herman Hermit’s original version A Kind of Hush Allover the World Karen did an exceptional cover.
My two ultimate favorite songs were Only Yesterday and Rainy Days and Monday.
After long enough of being alone Everyone must face their share of loneliness In my own time, nobody knew The pain I was goin’ through And waitin’ was all my heart could do
Hope was all I had until you came Maybe you can’t see how much you mean to me You were the dawn breaking the night The promise of mornin’ light Filling the world surroundin’ me When I hold you
Baby, baby, feels like maybe Things will be all right Baby, baby, your love’s made me Free as a song, singin’ forever
Only yesterday when I was sad and I was lonely You showed me the way to leave the past and all its tears behind me Tomorrow maybe even brighter than today Since I threw my sadness away Only yesterday
I have found my home here in your arms Nowhere else on earth I’d really rather be Life waits for us, share it with me The best is about to be And so much is left for us to see When I hold you
Baby, baby, feels like maybe Things will be all right Baby, baby, your love’s made me Free as a song, singin’ forever
Only yesterday when I was sad and I was lonely You showed me the way to leave the past and all its tears behind me Tomorrow maybe even brighter than today Since I threw my sadness away Only yesterday (only yesterday, only yesterday)
Only yesterday when I was sad and I was lonely You showed me the way to leave the past and all its tears behind me
Talkin’ to myself and feelin’ old Sometimes I’d like to quit Nothin’ ever seems to fit Hangin’ around Nothin’ to do but frown Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
What I’ve got they used to call the blues Nothin’ is really wrong Feelin’ like I don’t belong Walkin’ around Some kind of lonely clown Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
Funny, but it seems I always wind up here with you Nice to know somebody loves me Funny, but it seems that it’s the only thing to do Run and find the one who loves me (the one who loves me)
What I feel has come and gone before No need to talk it out (talk it out) We know what it’s all about Hangin’ around (hangin’ around) Nothin’ to do but frown Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
Funny, but it seems that it’s the only thing to do (only thing to do) Run and find the one who loves me
What I feel has come and gone before No need to talk it out We know what it’s all about Hangin’ around (hangin’ around) Nothin’ to do but frown Rainy days and Mondays always get me down Hangin’ around (hangin’ around) Nothin’ to do but frown Rainy days and Mondays always get Me down
Container gardening is what I do in New Jersey to grow my herbs and veggies. In spite of the warmer than normal temperatures and the blasted squirrels we’ve had a productive growing season. The squirrels are a nuisance when it comes to letting things ripen naturally on the vine. I’m always having to pick ahead of time because they steal the fruit or veggies when their perfect.
I was hoping that they wouldn’t be as prominent in Las Vegas as they are here but unfortunately that’s not the case. They’re a nuisance there as well. GRRRRR
A friend was commenting on my Halloween decorations. She thought they were pretty but didn’t envy the packing them away after. The good news is they actually fit into 6 rubbermaid containers nicely. I chose the rubbermaid containers to discourage spiders and mice from nesting when everything goes in the crawl space. Now you’re probably thinking mice will chew plastic. Yes, this is true but I saturate lots of cotton balls with peppermint oil and promptly seal the containers. When I unpack each year, there’s a faint trace of peppermint left with my decorations. I know that a lot of sources note that peppermint oil isn’t effective but it has worked very well with my containers especially since there’s no food source either for them.
I read today to discourage mosquitoes, ticks, spiders from getting on your skin to wear Vicks around your ankles, wrists, and neck. I’m curious if putting open containers of Vick’s with my decorations as well would also be helpful once I put everything in storage when we move. It would take longer to dry out. Eucalyptus oil, cedar leaf oil, nutmeg oil, petrolatum, thymol and turpentine oil and adding peppermint oil to mix for good measure. I’m going to give it a try, I don’t care if my decorations gain an interesting new aroma when I unpack them again.
Finally, there seems to be song about everything on YouTube.
Have you ever driven the wrong way on a one-way street? How did this come about?
Actually, this is a very amusing story from my school bus driving days. I had driven the wrestling team to an event and after the event we were going to McDonald’s to feed some starving young men. Not many choices at 10:45pm at night in Maine. The coach said, he knew how to get there so I followed his instructions until the oops moment. He said, it’s right up the street. Yup, it was but that street was one way. I said, “I can’t go up that street, it’s one way.” The coach said, “if we don’t hurry up the place will close before we get up. It closes at 11pm.” I insisted I couldn’t, which got a slew of angry boys complaining. The coach said,” come on, no one will know.” “Fine, and I went … knowing this was a really bad idea.” It was. There was a state police cruiser with an officer at the McDonald’s as I came out of the street. The boys rushed inside McDonald’s with six minutes to spare. The coach said, I got this to me as I was digging for my wallet to get my license. I look up to see the state trooper and the coach laughing like old friends.
I got out of the bus and went to hand my license and insurance card to the officer but he waved it away. “No worries, Mike, assured me you came up this street at his insistence.” I nodded.
“For future reference turn on Gilmore and you won’t have to drive up a one-way street.”
“Thank you”. The men shook hands and the officer got in the car. I asked Mike (the coach) how he knew the officer as we were going inside McDonald’s?
“We work together. When I’m not coaching, I’m Detective Mitchell.”
Under my breath, since I was still on the clock, I called the coach a BASTARD.
As a kid, did you ever decide to run away? Did you have a plan? Take a pet? Sandwiches?
I got punished for something my brother did when I was ten years old. I told my mother I hated her and I was going to run away. She said, I had to go the same way I came in this world. Fine, in the morning I went out the door naked as the day I was born. I walked up the street, not having any plan other than I was going. A police officer picked me, gave me a blanket and took me to the station. One of the other officers gave me tee-shirt to wear that covered me like a baggy dress. Another brought me chocolate milk and a donut. This wasn’t so bad and they actually listened to what I had to say. All hell broke loose however once my mother got me back home and I was punished again. But this time she locked me in my room.
You suddenly found you have a hidden talent for playing a musical instrument. What musical instrument do you hope that accompanies your talent? Any particular song?
I’m particularly fond of the sound of a cello, Hauser makes it sound so beautiful. There is something special about the sound of Cello that stirs the soul. Alone, Together is a lovely example.
Do you accessorize with jewelry? There was an opal necklace (cursed) and Slytherin’s locket (also cursed) in the Potter story. Have you had any heirloom jewelry passed down through the generations? Is it more ‘keepsake’ or do you wear it on occasion? (Hopefully, yours was not cursed?)
I’ve gone through spells when I wore jewelry that would give any gypsy a run for her looks. And other times, I wear almost none. I have my grandmother’s necklace, I don’t wear it very often. I’m scared I’ll lose it. My granddaughters will be receiving all of my jewelry when I pass.
Melanie’s Ordinary Muggle Questions:
What ingredients go into YOUR favorite salad?
Red leaf lettuce, kale, spinach, endive, cucumbers, celery, apples and pears, walnuts, and sharp cheese. If I don’t have fruit than tomatoes and radishes.
If you care to, share something that really irritates you.
When a person says their ready any time you are but than you have to sit and wait an hour for them. GRRRRRR
What are your favorite ‘lounging around the house’ items of clothing? Now that a lot of people ‘lounge around the house’ waiting for the all clear in respect to Covid being shown the door, have those lounging items changed?
I’ve always worn a comfy bathrobe before covid and during covid. I putter around the house then shower and dress for the day. Why ruin nice clothes?
GRATITUDE (as always this is optional) I’m grateful that I have people to love in my life and I’m loved in return. I’m blessed to have awesome fur babies.
“One of rock’s great voices meets one of country’s great voices, tackling an inspired, roots-minded songbook with sonic guru T-Bone Burnett. Krauss sounds bluesy, even lusty; when she sings “I could never kill a man” on Gene Clark’s “Through the Morning, Through the Night,” you’re actually not 100 percent sure. Plant, meanwhile, dials it down so far, it’s often hard to identify the dude who sang “Black Dog.” Yet the nuance in his vocals is as impressive as it is unprecedented. Tender, haunting, brilliant.”~ Rolling Stone Magazine.
Robert Plant had already expanded his musical horizons beyond his Rock God past by the time he made Raising Sand with bluegrass and country singer Alison Krauss in 2007.
Coupled with Krauss’ sweet soprano, Plant’s voice, dropped to a deep growl on some of Raising Sand‘s most effective and haunting moments, finds new registers and purpose. He’s not the swaggering rock ‘n’ roll beast he was three decades earlier, and the soft, nuanced tones he applies to many of the songs revealed the great world singer he grew into over the years. For a steamrolling British vocalist who was accused of ripping off blues music so many years before, Plant sounds like a genuinely sensitive Americana artist on Raising Sand.
Rich Woman… is one my favorite songs on the album.
I got a woman with plenty of money She got the money and I got the honey Called my baby late last night She told me daddy everything was all right
She got the money and I got the honey She got the money and I got the honey She got the money and I got the honey
I don’t have to worry about her she’s real fine I know my baby and she’s all mine She give me a Cadillac, a diamond ring She told me daddy don’t you worry bout a thing
She got the money and I got the honey She got the money and I got the honey She got the money and I got the honey
She’s all mine and I’m so glad She’s the best woman that I ever had She’s all mine and I’m so glad She’s all mine and I’m so glad She’s all mine and I’m so glad
Album with a really cool sleeve… hmmm I’m going with Johnny Cash, ‘American IV: The Man Comes Around’ (2002). The album cover was all black which was so perfect for the man in black. Sadly, it was the last album he released before he died.
The cover was a perfect tribute to a great man.
I remember reading it’s the perfect way for the Man in Black to fade to black.
My favorite song on this album is Hurt…Johnny did a cover of the song by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. They’re both good but I do prefer Johnny’s version because it sounds more poignant to me than Trent Reznor’s version.
I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that’s real
The needle tears a hole The old familiar sting Try to kill it all away But I remember everything
What have I become My sweetest friend? Everyone I know Goes away in the end
And you could have it all My empire of dirt I will let you down I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of thorns Upon my liar’s chair Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time The feelings disappear You are someone else I am still right here
What have I become My sweetest friend? Everyone I know Goes away in the end
And you could have it all My empire of dirt I will let you down I will make you hurtI
f I could start again A million miles away I will keep myself I would find a way
This song has inspired some interesting writing for me. I’ve hurt myself too, to see if I still feel pain. There are times, I feel so numb I’m not sure I do feel anything.
A favorite soundtrack oddly enough is still Dirty Dancing. The music is fun to listen too. But there are other reasons as well.
When the movie came out my daughter, Amanda and her friend Holly loved this movie. We watched it over and over, We giggled as we tried dancing like they did. I play the album from time to time and dance in the living room just like we did all those years ago. Sometimes, we need music that makes us smile.
Woohoo, this prompt gives me the opportunity to share Leonard Cohen. Thank you Jim.
Cohen shared a common passion with me, we love writing poetry. The Spice-Box of Earth helped expand the audience for Cohen’s poetry, helping him reach out to the poetry scene in Canada, outside the confines of McGill University. The book also helped Cohen gain critical recognition as an important new voice in Canadian poetry.
His styles vary so much in his poetry.
Waiting for Marianne from “Flowers for Hitler”
I have lost a telephone with your smell in it I am living beside the radio all the stations at once but I pick out a Polish lullaby I pick it out of the static it fades I wait I keep the beat it comes back almost alseep
Did you take the telephone knowing I’d sniff it immoderately maybe heat up the plastic to get all the crumbs of your breath
and if you won’t come back how will you phone to say you won’t come back so that I could at least argue
Silence
and a deeper silence
when the crickets
hesitate
“Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.”—Leonard Cohen.
“Judy Collins recalls that when she first met him, he said he couldn’t sing or play the guitar, nor did he think “Suzanne” was even a song:
And then he played me “Suzanne” … I said, “Leonard, you must come with me to this big fundraiser I’m doing” … Jimi Hendrix was on it. He’d never sung [in front of a large audience] before then. He got out on stage and started singing. Everybody was going crazy—they loved it. And he stopped about halfway through and walked off the stage. Everybody went nuts. … They demanded that he come back. And I demanded; I said, “I’ll go out with you.” So we went out, and we sang it. And of course, that was the beginning of an incredible musical career.”
Underappreciated album for me really made me think about this a good share of today, I finally decided on Bon Jovi’s 7800 Degrees Fahrenheit. iI’s full of cathartic songs that came from the soul ,and not shooting from the groin. Unfortunately, the album release happened at a very difficult time in the group’s career. In and Out of Love is the only song that seemed to have faired the best on the album.
Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey.” Bon Jovi has released 14 studio albums, five compilations and three live albums. They have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling American rock bands,”~ Wikipeida.
“John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, philanthropist, and actor.”
1974 Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot was released the summer after I graduated. It was # 1 in the US, the only Lightfoot album to accomplish that honor. The album marked the pinnacle of Lightfoot’s acoustic folk country blend before he embarked on an increasing use of electronic instruments.
I owned the song Sundown as a 45, but then I bought the album. Then I owned it again in cassettes, and then in cd.
I can see her lyin’ back in her satin dress In a room where ya do what ya don’t confess Sundown you better take care If I find you beenn creepin’ ’round my back stairs Sundown ya better take care If I find you been creepin’ ’round my back stairs
She’s been lookin’ like a queen in a sailor’s dream And she don’t always say what she really means Sometimes I think it’s a shame When I get feelin’ better when I’m feelin’ no pain Sometimes I think it’s a shame When I get feelin’ better when I’m feelin’ no pain
I can picture every move that a man could make Getting lost in her lovin’ is your first mistake Sundown you better take care If I find you been creepin’ ’round my back stairs Sometimes I think it’s a sin When I feel like I’m winnin’ when I’m losin’ again
I can see her lookin’ fast in her faded jeans She’s a hard lovin’ woman, got me feelin’ mean Sometimes I think it’s a shame When I get feelin’ better when I’m feelin’ no pain Sundown you better take care If I find you been creepin’ ’round my back stairs Sundown you better take care If I find you been creepin’ ’round my back stairs Sometimes I think it’s a sin When I feel like I’m winnin’ when I’m losin’ again
My second Lightfoot album was Summertime Dreams. My favorite song was the Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald. I just loved the storytelling ballad.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed When the gales of November came early
The ship was the pride of the American side Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most With a crew and good captain well seasoned Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms When they left fully loaded for Cleveland And later that night when the ship’s bell rang Could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound And a wave broke over the railing And every man knew, as the captain did too, T’was the witch of November come stealin’ The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait When the gales of November came slashin’ When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain In the face of a hurricane west wind
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’ Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya At seven p.m., a main hatchway caved in, he said Fellas, it’s been good to know ya The captain wired in he had water comin’ in And the good ship and crew was in peril And later that night when ‘is lights went outta sight Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Does any one know where the love of God goes When the waves turn the minutes to hours? The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay If they’d put fifteen more miles behind ‘er They might have split up or they might have capsized They may have broke deep and took water And all that remains is the faces and the names Of the wives and the sons and the daughters
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings In the rooms of her ice-water mansion Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams The islands and bays are for sportsmen And farther below Lake Ontario Takes in what Lake Erie can send her And the iron boats go as the mariners all know With the gales of November remembered
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed, In the maritime sailors’ cathedral The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee Superior, they said, never gives up her dead When the gales of November come early
lyncrain 