#273 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Saturday February 12)
Happy weekend!
The Musings will move to FIVE days a week in March! I’ve come to the realization that this enterprise has been a demanding undertaking—not only for me in writing these, but for YOU in reading them! I think crowding your inbox with Musings five days a week is enough of an intrusion on your week.
In the meantime, here is some of my favorite popular music, from the often underappreciated George Harrison:
MUSIC
George Harrison and Paul Simon, “Here Comes the Sun”:
And while we’re talking about George Harrison, “The End of the Line” with the Traveling Wilburys, including Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne:
And George with Eric Clapton (with Ringo and Phil Collins on drums), “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”:
You also can get a brief glimpse of Elton John on piano.
POETRY
And for poetry, the poetry of Nobel Prize winning Bob Dylan, the lyrics to “My Back Pages,” a piece that speaks about the certainty of our youth giving way to the wisdom of doubt and perspective as we grow up. The beauty of this poetry comes out better in print than through Dylan’s raspy rendition:
Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin’ high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
“We’ll meet on edges, soon,” said I
Proud ’neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now
Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth
“Rip down all hate,” I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull. I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now
Girls’ faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of, though, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now
A self-ordained professor’s tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
“Equality,” I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now
In a soldier’s stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I’d become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My pathway led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now
Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now
Copyright © 1964 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1992 by Special Rider Music
Have a great day,
Glenn
From the archives: