I sat me down to write a simple story

Archive: Listening

Yet another nostalgia-laden entry; another song's whose lyrics were bent to serve my young self.

When I first discovered rock Gordon was my guide. I think I asked him about songs with good lyrics. Procol Harum (Keith Reid, lyricist) was the group he cited. (And later Tom Rapp's words for Pearls Before Swine.)

Somewhere in 1972 or '73 Pilgrim's Progress from A Whiter Shade of Pale came to seem my private theme song (I've never told anyone this).

At first I took my weight to be an anchor and gathered up my fears to guide me round but then I clearly saw my own delusion and found my struggles further bogged me down Happily reckless in Atlanta I didn't feel that. But it seemed to sum up the life I'd just left in Savannah.

In starting out I thought to go exploring and set my foot upon the nearest road In vain I looked to find the promised turning but only saw how far I was from home

I unfairly grabbed the first, I did indeed feel as though I was exploring. Unlike Lot's wife I never looked back. I guess this captures the dishonesty of taking a song and forcing it to apply to yourself.

In searching I forsook the paths of learning and sought instead to find some pirate's gold

Youngest Richard thought he'd grow up to be a theoretical physicist or some sort of pure mathematician. Later I expected to become some sort of scholar. Finally freed I was seeking sex and whatever silliness might present itself.

I sat me down to write a simple story which maybe in the end became a song The words have all been writ by one before me We're taking turns in trying to pass them on Oh, we're taking turns in trying to pass them on

Damned if I can explain properly why those lines affected me so strongly. I had no story to tell, much less a song to sing. Perhaps I was burdened by the urge for intelligibility that sometimes manifests itself in my weblog entries. And felt that the freedoms of late 20th century urban America notwithstanding I was just doing what many others had already done. Can't guess whom I might've passed them along to.

Richard Evans LeeApril 16, 2003Reader, what do you think?

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