Sitting On Top Of The World

Hills and mountains are both natural land formations that rise out of the landscape, but unfortunately, there is no universally accepted standard definition for the height of a mountain or a hill.  Hills are easier to climb than mountains, because they are less steep and not as high as a mountain which some people feel is supposed to be higher than 1000 feet. One thing that they both have in common is a summit, which is their highest point.  During the days of World War I, a small Welsh town relied on its local mountain as a source of pride.  When two English cartographers, Reginald Anson and George Garrad, arrived to measure the mountain, they discovered the landmark was 16 feet short of achieving the official “mountain” classification.  Disheartened that their mountain has been deemed a hill, the townsfolk devised a plan to make up those 16 feet in the story The Englishman That Went Up a Hill and Down a Mountain.

Before geology was a science, Benjamin Franklin speculated about the origin of mountains and he also taught himself how to play the guitar, violin, and harp.  In a letter to Henry Home, Lord Kames a central figure of the Scottish Enlightenment Franklin discussed his displeasure with modern music when he wrote, “The Connoisseurs in modern Music will say I have no Taste, but I cannot help adding, that I believe our Ancestors in hearing a good Song, distinctly articulated, sung to one of those Tunes and accompanied by the Harp, felt more real Pleasure than is communicated by the generality of modern Operas, exclusive of that arising from the Scenery and Dancing.”  Music is a form of expression and people need the freedom to express themselves, and as the Chinese proverb goes, “A bird does not sing because it has an answer.  It sings because it has a song.”  I hope that everyone has a song to contribute today and I still urge your patience again and I will do my best to approve your pingbacks ASAP.

Here are the “rules”:

• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post will eventually work, as long as you are being patient.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

I am writing about the Grateful Dead song ‘New Speedway Boogie’ this week. The upcoming prompts will be:

February 24, 2019 – Harmony/Melody/Music
March 3, 2019 – Occupation
March 10, 2019 – Animal
March 17, 2019 – School/Books/Learning