This world is so wide that, even if you flitted around and around it, you would never reach the end of it. This blog is a collage of more or less literary and humorous, outlandish or sometimes even serious glimpses at this great wide world.
Gianmaria Testa (right) in concert with Paolo Fresu. Ludwigsburg castle, Germany, June 2011. Photo by Johannes Beilharz.
Aerial View
Of this aerial view Almost nothing remains The ghost of the steeple No longer smiles Gliding over the ancient hills Again and again You meet nothing But worn-out straw hats The glasses are empty But no one notices The glasses are empty And no one notices. And you What will you do tomorrow And you What will you do tomorrow
Of this season gone I won't forget anything Unless September insists On erasing it Talking again and again About what has just been I unwillingly wipe the salt Off my hands The glasses were full And someone emptied them The glasses were full But someone emptied them Now I know What you'll do tomorrow Now I know What you'll do tomorrow
The following video shows Gianmaria Test performing the song at another venue in the same area of Germany (Baden-Württemberg), the Franz K. in Reutlingen (May 4, 2010).
Note
It’s true – I can quote from an infinite number of songs by the people named above, plus a zillion others, like Joni Mitchell, Richard Thompson, Neil Young, Gianna Nannini, Gianmaria Testa, Labordeta, Chavela Vargas, Amparo Ochoa, Soledad Bravo, Ralph McTell, Cyndi Lauper, etc., but I cannot quote from any of the poems I’ve written, even though they must number in the thousands by now. Well, except from one of my first ones, written in German when I was around ten, about some flower I claimed to have found deep in the forest.
Today's word at Sunday Scribblings is 'Surrender' – "Is surrender about letting go or giving up?" Before I could get to any thoughts on the topic, Bruce Springsteen's powerful song popped up in my mind, so here it is ... a contribution by far better than any I could have come up with today. His answer to the question is clear: surrender is about giving up, and no surrender means not giving up.
Well, we bursted out of class
Had to get away from those fools
We learned more from a 3-minute record, baby
Than we ever learned in school
Tonight I hear the neighborhood drummer sound
I can feel my heart begin to pound
You say you're tired and you just want to close your eyes
And follow your dreams down
Well, we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
No retreat, baby, no surrender
Like soldiers in the winter's night
With a vow to defend
No retreat, baby, no surrender
Well, now young faces grow sad and old
And hearts of fire grow cold
We swore blood brothers against the wind
Now I'm ready to grow young again
And hear your sister's voice calling us home
Across the open yards
Well maybe we'll cut someplace of own
With these drums and these guitars
'Cause we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
No retreat, baby, no surrender
Blood brothers in the stormy night
With a vow to defend
No retreat, baby, no surrender
Now on the street tonight the lights grow dim
The walls of my room are closing in
There's a war outside still raging
You say it ain't ours anymore to win
I want to sleep beneath
Peaceful skies in my lover's bed
With a wide open country in my eyes
And these romantic dreams in my head
Once we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
No retreat, baby, no surrender
Blood brothers in a stormy night
With a vow to defend
No retreat, baby, no surrender
I don't know if I love you
Or if it's all in my head
I don't know if I love you
Though I know it's what I said
Cuz love is something I don't understand
Can't explain, I can't hold in my hand
But I'll stay here tonight
And I'll keep the flame alight
But let's not talk about love
I don't know if I love you
Though I feel some pain
I don't know if I love you
Or if I'm playing the game
Cuz love is something I don't understand
Can't explain, I can't hold in my hand
But I'll stay here tonight
And I'll make you feel alright
But let's not talk about love
I'm going to take you to
My special place
It's a place that you
Like no one else I know
Might appreciate
I don't go there with anyone – but
You're a special case
For my special place
For my secret place
People talk to tell you something
Or to take up space
Guess I'm only talking
To be talking to
Your pretty face
I don't talk much to anyone – but
You're a special case
For my special place
My secret place
I was born and raised
In New York City
I'm just getting used to Colorado –
Oh street bravado
Carry me
Why did you bring me to
A place so wild and pretty?
Are there pigeons in this park –
Muggers after dark –
In these golden trees –
In the secret place?
I'm going to take you to
My special place
It's a place no amount of hurt and anger
Can deface
I put things back together there
It all falls right in place –
In my special space
My special place
Once I saw a film
In New York City
That was shot in Colorado –
Girl meets desperado
In the trembling mountain trees
Out of all of the girls that you see
In bleachers and cafe windows
Sitting – flirting with someone
Looking to have some fun
Why did you pick me?
For the secret place
This song came to my mind immediately when I read the prompt and seems like such a perfect contribution that I did not even try to come up with something of my own.
Unfortunately, no Youtube video of the song is available for embedding here.
Reality notes
What is it with her? You call and inevitably get the distinct frosty feeling she'd like nothing better than to shake you off the soonest possible. And it's not like I call at uncivil times, either.
But perhaps I'm only ultraresistant to hints that are as clear as a totem pole.
Started this one with the first words of a song by Joan Armatrading that is among my all-time favorites:
I need you
Late
At night
I feel so lonely
Here's a body next to mine but I'm feeling cold
And baby in the morning light
When I look in some stranger's eyes
It's then I know that the need in me
Is really for your paradise
I dance
I sing
But there's something missing
Every night a different name to call
But you know when I hold 'em tight
I always give the game away
I try so hard to make it right
But it always ends up the same
You know I need you
I need you
Like I needed you
The first time we kissed
I need you
And I need you now
And I can't resist
Standing by your door in case you leave
I miss you mostly in the night
And I miss you through the day
I hate myself for hurting you
Yes I know I drove you clean away
You know I need you
But now I need you
(Written by Joan Armatrading, from me myself I, released in 1980)
Live performance by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell
'Til I Can Gain Control Again
Just like the sun over the mountaintop
You know I'll always come again
You know I love to spend my morningtime
Like sunlight dancing on your skin
I've never gone so wrong
As for telling lies to you
What you see is what I've been
There is nothing I could hide from you
You see me better than I can
Out on the road that lies before me now
There are some turns where I will spin
I only hope that you can hold me now
'Til I can gain control again
And like a lighthouse
you must stand alone
Landmark the sailor's journey's end
No matter what sea
I've been sailing on
I'll always pass this way again
Out on the road that lies before me now
There are some turns where I will spin
I only hope that you can hold me now
Til I can gain control again
A love song that has stayed with me for decades - ever since I heard it at my friend Paloma's house in Madrid - is Palabras de amor by Joan Manuel Serrat. He originally wrote it in his native Catalan, and the Catalan title is Paraules d'amor. The version I first heard and still prefer to any other recordings, including those by the composer himself, is by Venezuelan singer Soledad Bravo. It is unparalleled in its warmth and intimacy. The translation below is based on the lyrics she sings on her album Punto y Raya from 1974 (same as in the Youtube audio below).
This could well be my swan song to an emotional involvement that has been with me for over two years and is now showing signs of closure.
– Leonard Blumfeld
Words of love
She loved me so much,
And I love her to this very day.
Together we entered
A closed door.
I could say that she meant
The whole world to me then,
When only words of love
Were burning in the hearth.
Words of love, simple and tender.
We knew nothing else, we were fifteen.
We had not had time to learn anything else,
Had just woken from childhood dreams.
We were happy with three phrases
Learned from old comedians
Telling love stories, poets’ dreams.
We knew nothing else, we were fifteen.
Wherever she may be now,
Whatever she may be doing,
I lost her and will never ever
Get to see her again.
But oftentimes when night falls
I hear a song from far away.
Ancient notes, ancient chords,
Ancient words of love.
Words of love, simple and tender.
We knew nothing else, we were fifteen.
We had not had time to learn anything else,
Had just woken from childhood dreams.
Ella me quiso tanto,
yo todavía la quiero.
Juntos atravesamos
una puerta cerrada.
Ella, como podré decir,
era todo mi mundo
cuando en el hogar quemaban
solo palabras de amor.
Palabras de amor, sencillas y tiernas,
no sabíamos más, teníamos quince años,
no habíamos tenido tiempo de aprenderlas,
recién despertábamos de un sueño infantil.
Teníamos bastante con tres frases hechas
que habíamos oído a antiguos comediantes
de historias de amor, sueños de poetas,
no sabíamos más, teníamos quince años.
Ella, dónde estará,
ella, qué estará haciendo,
la perdí y nunca más
la volveré a encontrar.
Pero cuando la noche cae
oigo lejana una canción,
y en las notas, viejos acordes,
viejas palabras de amor.
Palabras de amor, sencillas y tiernas,
no sabíamos más, teníamos quince años,
no habíamos tenido tiempo de aprenderlas,
recién despertábamos de un sueño infantil.
The door it opened slowly,
my father he came in, I was nine years old.
And he stood so tall above me,
his blue eyes they were shining
and his voice was very cold.
He said, "I've had a vision
and you know I'm strong and holy,
I must do what I've been told."
So he started up the mountain,
I was running, he was walking,
and his axe was made of gold.
Well, the trees they got much smaller,
the lake a lady's mirror,
we stopped to drink some wine.
Then he threw the bottle over.
Broke a minute later
and he put his hand on mine.
Thought I saw an eagle
but it might have been a vulture,
I never could decide.
Then my father built an altar,
he looked once behind his shoulder,
he knew I would not hide.
You who build these altars now
to sacrifice these children,
you must not do it anymore.
A scheme is not a vision
and you never have been tempted
by a demon or a god.
You who stand above them now,
your hatchets blunt and bloody,
you were not there before,
when I lay upon a mountain
and my father's hand was trembling
with the beauty of the word.
And if you call me brother now,
forgive me if I inquire,
"Just according to whose plan?"
When it all comes down to dust
I will kill you if I must,
I will help you if I can.
When it all comes down to dust
I will help you if I must,
I will kill you if I can.
And mercy on our uniform,
man of peace or man of war,
the peacock spreads his fan.
Hoy vuelvo a la frontera
Otra vez he de atravesar
Es el viento que me manda
Que me empuja a la frontera
Y que borra el camino
Que detrás desaparece
Que detrás desaparece
Me arrastro bajo el cielo
Y las nubes del invierno
Es el viento que las manda
Y no hay nadie que las pare
A veces combate despiadado
A veces baile
Y a veces…nada
A veces baile
Y a veces…nada
Hoy cruzo la frontera
Bajo el cielo
Bajo el cielo
Es el viento que me manda
Bajo el cielo de acero
Soy el punto negro que anda
A las orillas de la suerte
A las orillas de la suerte
(Lhasa de Sela, from the album The Living Road, 2004)
The border
Today I’m returning to the border
I have to cross once again
It’s the wind that’s sending me
That’s pushing me to the border
And effacing the road
That disappears behind me
That disappears behind me
I wear on underneath the sky
And the winter clouds
It’s the wind that’s calling them
And there’s no-one to stop them
Sometimes it battles mercilessly
Sometimes it dances
And sometimes...nothing
Sometimes it dances
And sometimes...nothing
Today I’m crossing the border
Underneath the sky
Underneath the sky
The wind is telling me to do it
Under the steely sky
I’m the black dot that’s walking
Towards the shores of fate
Towards the shores of fate
Much belated note As I found out years later, Lhasa de Sela had passed away on January 1, 2010 at the age of 37, about one month before I published this translation here.
You with the sad eyes don't be discouraged oh I realize it's hard to take courage in a world full of people you can lose sight of it all and the darkness inside you can make you fell so small
But I see your true colors shining through I see your true colors and that's why I love you so don't be afraid to let them show your true colors true colors are beautiful like a rainbow
Show me a smile then don't be unhappy, can't remember when I last saw you laughing If this world makes you crazy and you've taken all you can bear you call me up because you know I'll be there
And I'll see your true colors shining through I see your true colors and that's why I love you So don't be afraid to let them show your true colors true colors are beautiful like a rainbow
(Written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, and a hit for Cyndi Lauper on her 1986 album of the same name.)
Written for One Single Impression’s dropped and for Totally Optional Prompts’ song lyrics. Alludes, of course, to the Ella Fitzgerald ditty from 1938 which, in turn, alluded to a much older American nursery rhyme.
Over by the wildwood, in the hot summer night, We lay in the tall grass, til the mornin' light come shining
If I had my way I'd never get the urge to roam. But sometimes I serve my country, sometimes I stay at home.
Just don't put me in the frame upon the mantel Where memories grow dusty old and grey. Don't leave me alone in the twilight. Twilight is the loneliest time of day.
And I never gave it a second thought, it never crossed my mind What's right and what's not. I'm not the judgin' kind. But I would steal your darkness and the storms from your skies. We’ve all got certain trials burnin' up inside. Don't send me no distant salutations. Or silly souvenirs from far away. Don't leave me alone in the twilight. Twilight is the loneliest time a day.
And don't put me in the frame upon the mantel. Where memories turn dusty old and grey. Don't leave me alone in the twilight. Twilight is the loneliest time a day.
The words reproduced here are Shawn Colvin's from her cover version of this song by The Band on her Cover Girl album from 1994. She deviates from the original lyrics in many instances.
Here's an impassioned rendering of the song by Eddie629 (recorded in the mud-room with steam rising in the cold weather) from Youtube:
There's so much good telephone stuff out there in the music world that I could not even click myself into creative telephone mode for Sunday Scribblings #110. The lyrics of a historical Blondie hit from 1979 follow below. I call it historical because the fundamental situation presented ("I'm in the phone booth, it's the one across the hall") is a historical one. Nowadays we all carry our private phone booths around with ourselves.
I particularly love the cheeky line "I want to tell you something you've known all along" (from which the title of this post derives) – isn't that the gist of many phone conversations?
Here goes (I'm also posting the Youtube video below, which is fun to watch – if only because of Deborah Harry's funny eye and finger work):
Hanging on the Telephone
I'm in the phone booth, it's the one across the hall If you don't answer, I'll just ring it off the wall I know he's there, but I just had to call Don't leave me hanging on the telephone Don't leave me hanging on the telephone
I heard your mother now she's going out the door Did she go to work or just go to the store All those things she said I told you to ignore Oh why can't we talk again Oh why can't we talk again Oh why can't we talk again Don't leave me hanging on the telephone Don't leave me hanging on the telephone
It's good to hear your voice, you know it's been so long If I don't get your call then everything goes wrong I want to tell you something you've known all along Don't leave me hanging on the telephone
I had to interrupt and stop this conversation Your voice across the line gives me a strange sensation I'd like to talk when I can show you my affection Oh I can't control myself Oh I can't control myself Oh I can't control myself Don't leave me hanging on the telephone
Hang up and run to me Whoah, hang up and run to me Whoah, hang up and run to me Whoah, hang up and run to me Whoah oh oh oh run to me
As a contribution to Anna Carson's Project Green I'm posting a video of Peter Green performing Man of the World – a song from the early blues days of Fleetwood Mac. Both the picture and sound quality are excellent. Lyrics below.
Man of the World
Shall I tell you about my life They say I'm a man of the world I've flown across every tide And I've seen lots of pretty girls
I guess I've got everything I need I would't ask for more And there's no one I'd rather be But I just wish that I'd never been born
...
And I need a good woman To make me feel like a good man should I don't say I'm a good man Oh, but I would be if I could
I could tell you about my life And keep you amused I'm sure About all the times I've cried And how I don't want to be sad anymore And how I wish I was in love
For Sunday Scribblings' #106 – Fearless I'm posting the lyrics of a song by Steve Earle from his outstanding 1986 album Guitar Town. Steve Earle's turbulent life is told by music writer David McGee in his biography Steve Earle: Fearless Heart, Outlaw Poet (2005).
As an amusing aside it may be mentioned that Mr. Earle appears to be quite fearless in matters of the heart not only in song but in real life as well, having been married a total of seven times...
Fearless Heart
Don't you worry bout what you've been told Cause honey I ain't even close to cold It's kinda soon to fall in love again But sometimes the best that you can do is just jump back in I got me a fearless heart Strong enough to get you through the scary part It's been broken many times before A fearless heart just comes back for more
Folks'll tell you that I'm just no good But I wouldn't hurt you honey if I could I can't promise this'll work out right But it would kill me darlin' if we didn't even try
I admit I fall in love a lot But I nearly always give it my best shot I know you must think I'm the reckless kind But I want a lady with a fearless heart just like mine
The land with the velvet hill (detail from The Fortress of Golkonda, 2004; gouache, oil crayon and acrylic on paper)
Today's theme proposed by Inspire Me Thursday is PEACE - the peace symbol is turning fifty.
I'm not using the peace symbol itself here but make reference to someone who was a symbol of the peace movement of the 1960s and 70s – Melanie. In particular, I'm thinking of her song Peace Will Come whose lyrics are the reason why I chose this painting.
The song seems to focus on the peace inside oneself, yet also establishes a connection to the whole world or even becomes the world. We are all part of it, and it might not be the worst idea for everyone to buy one – a piece of peace.
Peace Will Come
There's a chance peace will come in your life please buy one
Sometimes when I am feeling as big as the land With the velvet hill in the small of my back And my hands are playing with sand
And my feet are swimming in all of the waters All of the rivers are givers to the ocean According to plan, according to man
Well sometimes when I am feeling so grand And I become the world And the world becomes a man
And my song becomes a part of the river I cry out to keep me just the way I am According to plan
According to man, according to plan According to man, according to plan
There's a chance peace will come In your life please buy one.
There's a chance peace will come In my life please buy one.
For sometime when we have reached the end With the velvet hill in the small of my backs And our hands are clutching the sand
Will our blood become a part of the river All of the rivers are givers to the ocean According to plan, according to man
There's a chance peace will come In your life please buy one
(Written by Melanie Safka, song released in 1970)
The following video shows Melanie performing Peace Will Come at the Johnny Cash Show:
A. Like the plague, there are enough of those useless things. B. Why not, count me in.
If your answer is A., then please proceed with whatever you wanted to do in the first place. If your answer is B., then please be invited to participate in Ruby Tuesday.
What are the rules?
A. Create a post that has the word or color RUBY or something else RUBY-related or TUESDAY-related in it. B. In your post, create a link to this Ruby Tuesday meme invitation. C. Leave a comment here. D. That's all!
How'd I come up with the idea for this meme? That's simple:
A. Today is Tuesday. B. I was thinking of participating in some meme – preferably a Tuesday one since today is Tuesday. C. Somehow, in my always musical head, the Rolling Stones song Ruby Tuesday started playing:
Ruby Tuesday
She would never say where she came from Yesterday don't matter because it's gone While the sun is bright Or in the darkest night No one knows, she comes and then she goes
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday Who is gonna hang a name on you? When you change with every new day Still I'm gonna miss you
Don't ask her why she needs to be so free She's gonna tell you it's the only way to be She just can't be chained To a life where nothing's gained And nothing's lost, but such a cost
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday Who is gonna hang a name on you? When you change with every new day Still I'm gonna miss you
"There's no time to lose", I heard her say You gotta catch your dreams before they slip away Dying all the time Lose your dreams and you may lose your mind Is life unkind?
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday Who is gonna hang a name on you? When you change with every new day Still I'm gonna miss you
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday Who is gonna hang a name on you? When you change with every new day Still I'm gonna miss you
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday
– Written in 1966 by Keith Richards (and possibly Brian Jones)
For added inspiration, here's a clip of Melanie performing the song:
These (om anandamayi chaitanyamayi satyamai parame) are the words of the first song on a wonderful CD I've had for years – Hymns and Songs in Sanskrit, sung by Joy Chowdhury of Auroville, South India.
I briefly met Joy Chowdhury at a friend's house in Auroville late in 2004 and remember – and this is a memory that's stuck in my mind for incomprehensible reasons – seeing her vanish behind a curve of an Auroville dirt road on her scooter, with her daughter riding behind her.
– Leonard Blumfeld
The musicians are:
Joy Chowdhury - Vocals
Holger Jetter - Keyboards & arrangements
Bryce Grinlington - Flute
Krishna Both - Tabla
Nadaka - Tambura and additional vocal
