Save Water and Shower with A Friend

This song has nothing to do with saving water, as I just liked that title for my post.  The consummate composer and songwriter and virtuoso guitarist James Taylor, being the perennial optimist, and an all-round nice guy sings of compassion and the warmth of sharing our love and real feelings with people we care about.  Taylor suggests that we let go of everything that hurt us in the past, that we should not fear rejection, and be ourselves, by getting rid of our pride and embracing our humanity with love and sharing that love with others.  This song is his message about sharing and caring, warmth, friendship, love and happiness.  Taylor is saying that you should not be afraid to tell others that you love them and let them know that you care.  Don’t hold back your feelings, share your love with others and there is a good chance that you will feel loved by doing this.  If you put in a little bit of effort, you can make a big difference.

By the late 1960s well-known guitarist Danny Kortchmar had persuaded James to leave the mental facility, McLean Hospital in Massachusetts where he checked himself into in 1965 because he was suffering from deep depression.  James moved to New York City, and he began to perform with various bands but also developed a taste for heroin and other illicit substances.  In 1969, he moved to London, cut a great demo, and was signed by The Beatles’ Apple label.  He fell back into heavy drug use and was once again forced to seek treatment.  In 1970, he moved to California, where he finally achieved musical success with his single ‘Fire and Rain’ that hit #3 on the US singles charts and in 1971 he followed this with his first #1 hit, Carole King’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend’.

‘Shower the People’ was released on James Taylor’s 1976 seventh studio album In the Pocket.  It is not one of James’ best-known songs, peaking at #22 on the US Singles chart and staying in the Top 40 for eight weeks.  He wants us to “shower the people we love, with love”, which is a pretty simple message, and it has been said many times in the past.  In John 13:34, there is a similar message, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  Jesse Colin Young of the Youngbloods wrote, “Everybody get together, try to love one another right now.”  Lyricist Hal David and song writing partner of Burt F Bacharach wrote, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.”

You can play the game
You can act out the part
Though you know
It wasn’t written for you
Tell me how can you stand there
With your broken heart
Ashamed to playin’ a fool?

One thing can be to another
It doesn’t take any sacrifice
Oh, Father and Mother
And sister and brother
If it feels nice
Don’t think twice

Just shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna work out fine
If you only will
Do as I say

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better
If you only will

You can run but you cannot hide
This is widely known
Now what you plan to do with your foolish pride
When you’re all by yourself alone

Once you tell somebody
The way that you feel
You can feel it beginning to ease
I think it’s true what they say
About the squeaky wheel
Always getting the grease

Better to
Shower the people you love with love
Yes and show them the way that you feel
I know things are gonna be just fine
If you only will, what I like to do to you

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better, if you only will

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way you feel
Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Shower the people you love with love

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is House, Room, Kitchen, Shower, or Attic suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II.

HGTV

It is a seller’s market for the housing industry right now, as there are more buyers than properties available, leading to competition among buyers that brings about bidding wars, buyers placing offers on properties sight unseen and buyers experiencing pressure to put more cash down to get a seller’s attention.  The U.S. was on the longest period of continued economic expansion on record continuing for 128 months, or about 10½ years till it peaked last February.  The housing market is still going strong; however, it will eventually cool down and balance out.  Housing market forecasts are essentially informed guesses based on existing patterns.

Last week we had Educated with a Class Degree in School where the theme was songs that feature School, College, Education, Class, Degree suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II.  This week the theme is songs that are about House, Room, Kitchen, Shower, Attic also suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you are able to as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Here are the “rules”:
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• 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 song ‘Shower The People’ by James Taylor today.  Next week, I will be writing about the Manfred Mann song ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’.  The upcoming prompts will be:
December 12, 2021 – songs with Nonsense lyrics suggested by Amy Braun, ai love music aisasami
December 19, 2021 – lyrics associated with electronic communication devices (pagers, iPhone, Android, fax machine, computer, TV) suggested by Amy Braun, ai love music aisasami
December 26, 2021 – Anger, Frustration, Furious, Irritated, Mad, Provoked, Revenge suggested by Amy Braun, ☆ai love music☆ aisasami
January 2, 2022 – Entertainment, Circus, Show suggested by Melanie B Cee of Sparks From A Combustible Mind

Life After High School

‘Adult Education’ is a song by American duo Daryl Hall & John Oates, released as a single on February 18, 1984.  The song is featured on the duo’s 1983 second compilation album Rock ‘n Soul Part 1.  This song along with ‘Say It Isn’t So’ was one of two new tracks that were recorded specifically for the compilation release and it hit #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but it only reached #94 on the UK charts.  This song was featured in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V.

The song centers on the plight of a teenage girl in high school.  Her girlfriends only “care about what she wears” and the narrator assures her that “there’s life after high school”.  The lyrics suggest she is wiser than her years and, in fact, is receiving an education that is equivalent to what adults are getting while she is still in high school.  Daryl Hall said, “One of the big problems with the world is people never grow up – no matter how old they get.  And the song is a reminder that there is life after high school.  That there’s another way of looking at the world, and that other world is a false world and a meaningless world.  So that’s really what that’s about.”

An adult education includes programs that help adults get the basic skills that they need to be productive workers, family members, and citizens, or it can be a way for adults to earn their high school equivalency diploma.  Most students do not learn about sex in school, even if they take sex education courses, as these Sexual Education courses consist mostly of memorizing lists of sexually transmitted diseases.  Teenagers are curious about sex because they want to be grown up and nobody wants to be a virgin.  Movies and media are able to fill in the blanks (stuff they are not taught), so students can understand how sex actually works.  Most school programs taught that sex was shameful and the lessons were based on avoiding sexual risks.

When I was in High School, we had homeroom in the morning, as that is where attendance was taken, but in this song, it seems like the students are in homeroom before they are released for the day.  It seems like this girl has planned to do something tonight (maybe getting laid), but for some reason that probably won’t be happening.  Hall and Oates never took the MTV clip serious and it turned out to be pretty weird, taking place in an ancient tomb where some sort of time-traveling mating ritual is apparently going to happen.

It’s afternoon in the homeroom and they’re about to let you go.
And the locker slam on the plan you had tonight.
You’ve been messing around with a boyfriend maybe better left alone.
There’s a wise guy that you know could put you right.

In the lot the boy that’s idling by doesn’t rev your heart.
Cause it’s only lonely spots he shares with you.
And the long halls and the gray walls are gonna split apart.
Believe it or not there’s life after high school.

The student body’s got a bad reputation.
What they need is adult education.
Back to school it’s a bad situation.
But what you want is an adult education.

The teacher don’t know about how to deal with the student body.
And the underclassmen are flashing hot and cool.
All your girlfriends care about the watch you wear and they’re talkin’ about it.
Believe it or not there’s life after high school.

They’re calling it a preparation.
You’re waiting for a separation.
You’re nothing but another odd number,
Memories that you won’t remember.
So you got a little education.
And a lot of dedication.
But you want a little night school.
Maybe some of it will rub off on you.
The boys are busy in the mirrors.
Trying to imitate their heroes.
You make it with a false surrender.
More memories you won’t remember.
The senior with the junior Miss’s
I wonder what the junior wishes.
That she could graduate to adult.
That she could graduate to adult kisses.

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is songs that are about School, College, Education, Class, Degree which was suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II.

Educated with a Class Degree in School

University refers to a larger institution than your typical college and it would offer both undergraduate and graduate programs, where as a college could be a community college, a technical school, or some establishment that grants a liberal arts degree.  Higher education usually leads toward an academic degree, and it is probably the final stage of formal learning.  Older people often say that when they went to school, that they walked uphill both ways, which is an attempt to underscore challenges that the younger generation does not have to endure.  In the movie Back to School Rodney Dangerfield had a crush on his teacher, so he asked her out.  Her schedule was very busy, so he told her to call him sometime when you have no class.

Last week we had Rumble In the Jungle where the theme was songs that feature Lion, Tiger, Bear, Eagle, Shark suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II.  This week the theme is songs that are about School, College, Education, Class, Degree also suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you are able to as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Here are the “rules”:
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• 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 song ‘Adult Education’ by Daryl Hall and John Oates today.  Next week, I will be writing about the James Taylor song ‘Shower The People’.  The upcoming prompts will be:
December 5, 2021 – House, Room, Kitchen, Shower, Attic suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II
December 12, 2021 – songs with Nonsense lyrics suggested by Amy Braun, ai love music aisasami
December 19, 2021 – lyrics associated with electronic communication devices (pagers, iPhone, Android, fax machine, computer, TV) suggested by Amy Braun, ai love music aisasami
December 26, 2021 – Anger, Frustration, Furious, Irritated, Mad, Provoked, Revenge suggested by Amy Braun, ☆ai love music☆ aisasami

Tiger In a Cage

Barrett Strong recorded ‘I’m Gonna Cry (If You Quit Me)’ in 1960 on Tamla Records as the B side to the single ‘Whirlwind’.  Berry Gordy wrote this song with Smokey Robinson.  Barrett Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best known for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfield.  Among his most famous work at Motown, Strong wrote the lyrics for many of the songs recorded by the Temptations.  Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry Gordy’s fledging label, Tamla Records, and in April 1959, he recorded Tamla’s third-ever single, the little-distributed and thus highly collectable ‘Let’s Rock’.  His second 45, and Motown’s seventh, followed in August and this put Tamla on the national map, being the company’s first hit.  ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ reached #2 US R&B and went as high as #23 pop in 1960.  ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ was written by Gordy with his receptionist Janie Bradford.  Strong was still a student at Central High School in Detroit when it was recorded.

Women are more likely to cry after a breakup and the guy in this song is a really tough guy, but he knows that sadness will overcome him if his girl leaves.  Guys are built different than girls and they try to put on a front to make them feel better about themselves, but guys are human, so they can experience loneliness along with separation anxiety, as they are longing for their girlfriend or partner to return.  Love isn’t always enough to make a relationship last and you have to know when it is time to let go, but this guy clearly isn’t ready for that step yet.  We don’t know what went wrong for this girl to want to leave him, but maybe this guy was too macho to tell his girl that he loves her.

Well, all my life, I’ve been real strong
I ain’t ever been hurt when things go wrong
I’m hard as a rock, and just as tough
I don’t play and I don’t bluff

[Chorus]
But I’m gonna cry, I’m gonna cry
I’m gonna cry if you quit me
(I’m gonna cry) Yeah, baby, if you quit me
(I’m gonna cry) Whoa, baby, if you quit me
(I’m gonna cry)

[Verse 2]
Yeah, I’ve conceded in all I tried
When trouble comes, I never hide
I kept running through the jungle
Kill a lion with a switch
Everybody knows I’m bad as I can be

[Chorus]
But I’m gonna cry, baby, I’m gonna cry
I’m gonna cry if you quit me
(I’m gonna cry) Oh baby, if you quit me
(I’m gonna cry) Whoa, baby, if you quit me
(I’m gonna cry) Yeah…

[Verse 3]
Well, I’ll fight a bear in the forest or a shark in the sea
A tiger in a cage and an ape in a tree
And in the rain, cold, hot or sunny, I won’t run
I used to beat the cops just for fun

[Chorus]
But I’m gonna cry, baby; I’m gonna cry, baby
I’m gonna cry if you quit me
(I’m gonna cry) Oh baby, if you quit me
(I’m gonna cry) Whoa, honey, so don’t you quit me
(I’m gonna cry) Ah, baby, I may be rough
(I’m gonna cry) And I may, I may be tough
(I’m gonna cry) But I’m gonna cry
(I’m gonna cry) If you quit me
(I’m gonna cry) Yeah, if you quit me
(I’m gonna cry)

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is Lion, Tiger, Bear, Eagle, Shark suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II.

Rumble In the Jungle

The Mayan civilization was obsessed with sharks even in the landlocked cities and it is thought that they may have brought sharks to the jungle.  Some bear species live in the jungle, and these bears have adjusted to the warm weather, so they won’t hibernate like their cold-weather relatives.  The harpy eagle is one of the biggest eagles in the world and the largest raptor found in the rainforests of Central and South America.  Existing at the top of the tropical forest food chain, the harpy eagle is a carnivorous predator, but scientists know very little about them because their numbers are few and their habitat is large.  They stay hidden in the branches of the canopy, so they are rarely seen, and hardly ever filmed.  Lions are known as the king of the jungle, but they live in grassland, savanna, plains, dense scrub, and open woodland, however some live in the jungles of the Congo.  Bengal tigers live in tropical rainforests, forests and mangroves in Southern and Southeastern Asia.  The tiger’s striped coat helps them blend in well with the sunlight filtering through the treetops to the jungle floor.

Last week we had Life Expectancy at Birth where the theme was songs that feature songs that feature the lyrics either Birth, Death, or Life.  This week the theme is songs that feature Lion, Tiger, Bear, Eagle, Shark suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you are able to as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Here are the “rules”:
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• 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 song ‘I’m Gonna Cry (If You Quit Me)’ by Barrett Strong today.  Next week, I will be writing about the Daryl Hall John Oates song ‘Adult Education’.  The upcoming prompts will be:
November 28, 2021 – School, College, Education, Class, Degree suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II
December 5, 2021 – House, Room, Kitchen, Shower, Attic suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II
December 12, 2021 – songs with Nonsense lyrics suggested by Amy Braun, ai love music aisasami
December 19, 2021 – lyrics associated with electronic communication devices (pagers, iPhone, Android, fax machine, computer, TV) suggested by Amy Braun, ai love music aisasami

What Would Life Be

‘Let It Be Me’ is a reworking of a French song that was recorded in 1955 by Gilbert Becaud called ‘Je T’Appartiens’ and he wrote the music for this tune.  Pierre Delanoe wrote the French lyrics and Mann Curtis translated the English version.  The first English version of this song was released in 1957 by an actress named Jill Corey, who recorded it with Jimmy Carroll and his orchestra.  This version went to #57 in 1957, two years before The Everly Brothers version.  The Everly Brothers recorded this on their 1959 album The Very Best Of The Everly Brothers and the single charted #13 in the UK and went to #7 in the US.  The musicians that backed up the brothers on the record included Howard Collins, Barry Galbraith and Mundell Lowe on guitar, Lloyd Trotman on bass, Jerry Allison on drums and Hank Rowland on piano.

The Everly Brothers got a record deal in 1957, with the help of Wesley Rose (president of Acuff-Rose publishing), who became their manager.  Cadence was a pop label, but its owner, Archie Bleyer, was interested in getting into country music.  They embarked on a career that made them second only to Elvis Presley in the rock and roll popularity stakes.  Between 1957 and 1962, only Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, and possibly Rick Nelson outsold them.  By partnering with Acuff-Rose, the Everly Brothers gained access to A-list songwriting material, especially the works of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.  In 1961, Don and Phil had a falling out with manager Wesley Rose, because Wesley insisted that they would only use Acuff-Rose writers for their songs.  As time went on, The Everly Brothers wanted to record songs that didn’t fall under Acuff-Rose publishing and this separation cost them dearly, as they were one of the first artists to be squeezed by the restrictive environment of Music Row in Nashville, and their careers suffered because of it.  This strange twist of fate caused them to lose access to their own material.  Moving to California in 1961, where they started making singles that were probably too experimental for the time, didn’t do much to help their career.

According to Song Facts, “Don Everly heard an instrumental rendition on the 1959 album Chet Atkins In Hollywood and fell in love with the melody.  When he found out there were lyrics, he brought the song to producer Archie Bleyer.  Wesley Rose, owner of the publishing company Acuff-Rose that signed the Everly Brothers as songwriters and connected them with Bleyer’s Cadence label, sparred with Bleyer over the tune but lost.”  Don wanted to do this song with strings, and this became their first song to have strings and one of the first pop songs to use a string section, utilizing eight violins and a cello.  Just before this became a hit, The Everly Brothers left their original label, Cadence Records, and signed with Warner Brothers for a $100,000 bonus, which was huge at the time.  This Everly Brothers recorded this song in New York and it was the first one that they did not record in Nashville.  This song was also a hit for Elvis Presley, Betty Everett & Jerry Butler, Glen Campbell & Bobbie Gentry, and Willie Nelson.

Manny Curtis was born in 1911 as Emanuel Kurtz, in Brooklyn, New York, and wrote the lyrics for over 250 songs.  His most notable song lyrics were for ‘In a Sentimental Mood’ (1935) and ‘Let It Be Me’ (1957).  He also used the pseudonyms Mann Curtis, and Manny Kurtz.  This is a very romantic song, but I think it is a bit sappy as the guy is begging the girl to love him.  A relationship will only work if it is a true partnership, and that requires two people to be on the same wavelength, so if you have to ask for attention and affection, then you are in a bad relationship.  It is very unattractive for a girl to see a guy whining and any complaining makes them sound weak, which is most likely the opposite of what the girl is looking for.  You should never beg a woman for love as that will just make them appreciate you less than they did before.

I bless the day I found you
I want to stay around you
And so I beg you
Let it be me

Don’t take this Heaven from one
If you must cling to someone
Now and forever
Let it be me

Each time we meet, love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love
What would life be?

So never leave me lonely
Tell me you love me only
And that you’ll always
Let it be me

Each time we meet love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love
What would life be?

So never leave me lonely
Tell me you love me only
And that you’ll always
Let it be me

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the prompt is Birth, Death, Life and I know that I originally said that I was going to write about the Kinnie Starr song ‘Ophelia’, which would have been great for the prompt, but I changed my mind because I like this song better.

Life Expectancy at Birth

A new born male is expected to live to be 76, which is less than the age the life expectancy calculator gave me, so I guess that I am lucky.  They gave me 9 more years, allowing me to live to be 77, but since I am not ready to go just yet, I think that I will stick around.  The average American now lives to 88 and I would be happy with that number, as I know that my body is deteriorating.  They say it is always good to get a second opinion, so I looked at another lifespan site and now I will supposedly to live to be 82.  I guess it is about time for me to put together a bucket list, as that is what old people do.

Last week we had It Is About Time where the theme was songs that feature songs that feature the lyrics of either Past, Present, or Future.  This week the theme is songs that feature the lyrics of either Birth, Death, or Life.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you are able to as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Here are the “rules”:
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• 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 song ‘Let It Be Me’ by The Everly Brothers today.  Next week, I will be writing about the Barrett Strong song ‘I’m Gonna Cry (If You Quit Me)’.  The upcoming prompts will be:
November 21, 2021 – Lion, Tiger, Bear, Eagle, Shark suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II
November 28, 2021 – School, College, Education, Class, Degree suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II
December 5, 2021 – House, Room, Kitchen, Shower, Attic suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II
December 12, 2021 – songs with Nonsense lyrics suggested by Amy Braun, ai love music aisasami

All These Trials, Soon Be Past

‘Built to Last’ is the title song from the thirteenth and final studio album by the Grateful Dead.  This album was released at the end of 1989 and the song ‘Built to Last’ was written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter.  This song is a bit of a rarity for the Grateful Dead, as they only played it about 20 times in concert from 1988 to 1990.  Robert Hunter’s lyrics on this song seem easy enough to interpret, but since nobody has ever written anything substantial on this song, I guess it is up to me to try and do it justice.  Hunter discusses his feelings about different situations that pop up in his relationship with his lover.

It seems to be a one-way conversation between his girl and him and he reflects on things that happened in their past and he feels that some of these things should be forgotten so they can move on with their future.  He is wondering if being together will work out for them and he looks at their relationship as being a series of trials that they have to go through together.  He points out things which he feels she must do under certain circumstances, and he indicates that he might be able to help her, and he adds that in some other situations, he probably won’t be able to help out.  He is looking for something that is built to last, maybe because so many marriages end in divorce.  He says that the wind has been held by the collar, and maybe this is because he believes in the sanctity of marriage, and he realizes how much value society puts on couples being married.  He says that a cloud is being held by a breeze and then he mentions the opposites of walking on coals of fire, and about being cold enough to freeze.

This relationship seems to be equally beneficial for both of them, but he isn’t sure that it will last.  He mentions three blue stars, which most people seem to think are Orion’s Belt and as daylight approaches even these stars seem to dwindle in numbers, so maybe nothing is built to last.  His message seems to be that all you can do is try your best and hope that things work out for anything io be able to last.  The Grateful Dead were not built to last, because they were reckless and Jerry Garcia did not take care of himself properly, but they were good while they lasted.

There are times when you must beckon,
There are times when you must fall.
You can take a lot of wrecking,
But you can’t take it all.
There are times when I can help you out,
And times when you must fall.
There are times when you must live in doubt,
And I can’t help at all.
Three blue stars, shine o’er the hill.
Plead no more, now just be still.
Through the night, now safely there.
Show me something built to last.
Wind held by the collar
Got a cloud held by the breeze
You can walk on coals of fire
But sometimes you must freeze
There are times when you offend me
And I do the same to you
If we can’t or won’t forget it,
then I guess we could be through

One blue star, set o’er the hill.

Call it back; you never will.
All these trials, soon be past.
We all need something built to last.
One more star, sinks in the past
Show me something built to last.

Built to last till time itself
Falls tumbling from the wall
Built to last till sunshine fails
And darkness moves on all
Built to last while years roll past
Like cloudscapes in the sky
Show me something built to last
Or something built to try

There are times when you get hit upon
Try hard but you cannot give
Other times you’d gladly part
With what you need to live
Don’t waste the breath to save your face
When you have done your best
And even more is asked of you
Let fate decide the rest.

Now I won’t forget,
Next day try the rest.
All the stars, are gone but one.
Morning dreams, we found the sun.
Show me something built to last
Two blue stones, shine o’er the hill.
Call it back; you never will
All these trials, now are dead.
Show me something built to last.
All the stars, are gone but one.
Morning dreams. here comes the sun.
Through the night, now sinking fast.
Show me something built to last.

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is past, present, or future.

It Is About Time

Albert Einstein said, “The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”  Physicists believe that time is not real, so there is no past or future because everything exists in the present.  Most people think that the past has already happened and that the future doesn’t exist, but others feel that every moment of our lives is out there existing in its own spacetime.  My followers are forced to read this post one moment at a time and it might be possible that the whole story of your life has already been written to a DVD, but since you don’t have the forward and reverse buttons, you are forced to experience your life one moment at a time.  Some scientific evidence exists which seems to go against the true nature of reality supports this theory and if this is true, then everything that you know is utterly an illusion.  This may be best summed up in the Moody Blues song ‘Late Lament’ with the lyrics, “Tell me someone that this is all an illusion”.

Last week we had Blowing in the Wind where the theme was songs that feature wind instruments suggested by Maggie From Cave Walls.  This week the theme is songs that feature the lyrics of either Past, Present, or Future.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you are able to as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Tell everyone why you like the song, whether it was a hit, or what you think the song is about.  Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music.  Try to find a song that fits the theme, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Here are the “rules”:
• Try to use the prompt words or at least conform to a general theme, as you see it.  If the song you select does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• It would be good if you could post the lyrics to the song of your choice, as this is helpful for the people that want to follow along with the music.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due. It would also be a good idea to give credit to the singer and the band associated with your song.
• Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be, but please try not to include too many videos as that just makes it take longer to look at all of the other posts.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• 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 song ‘Built To Last’ by the Grateful Dead today.  Next week, I will be writing about the Kinnie Starr song ‘Ophelia’.  The upcoming prompts will be:
November 14, 2021 – Birth, Death, Life
November 21, 2021 – Lion, Tiger, Bear, Eagle, Shark suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II
November 28, 2021 – School, College, Education, Class, Degree suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II
December 5, 2021 – House, Room, Kitchen, Shower, Attic suggested by Paula of Light Motifs II