What I'm listening to: this mix, which I got in a trade on Art of the Mix. It is a very good mix. And it's got a lot of old favorite songs on it, as well as some that are new to me. (This is one of the old ones...)
Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen
It's four in the morning, the end of December I'm writing you now just to see if you're better New York is cold, but I like where I'm living There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening. I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.
Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair She said that you gave it to her That night that you planned to go clear Did you ever go clear?
Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder You'd been to the station to meet every train And you came home without Lili Marlene
And you treated my woman to a flake of your life And when she came back she was nobody's wife.
Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth One more thin gypsy thief Well I see Jane's awake --
She sends her regards.
And what can I tell you my brother, my killer What can I possibly say? I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you I'm glad you stood in my way.
If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.
Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes I thought it was there for good so I never tried.
And Jane came by with a lock of your hair She said that you gave it to her That night that you planned to go clear --
Sincerely, L. Cohen
Thursday, April 19, 2001
Love, I don't like to see so much pain So much wasted, and this moment keeps slipping away I get so tired of working so hard for our survival I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive
~ Peter Gabriel, "In Your Eyes"
I am always amazed at the power of Peter Gabriel's lyrics. This song is an old favorite, not just of mine of course, and I still love it like the first time. But so many of Peter Gabriel's songs are this way for me. He captures things in words and music that I have only felt.
He speaks, my heart listens.
Monday, April 16, 2001
I'll be the boy in the corduroy pants You be the girl at the high school dance Run with me, wherever I go And just play dumb, whatever you know
~ Tom Petty, "You Wreck Me"
What is it about these lines from "You Wreck Me" that I find so evocative? It's an amazing song, which is why it went on my desert island tape lo, these many years ago. But this verse in particular always makes me catch my breath. Why? There's something that feels so familiar to me about these lines. Maybe it's something as simple as the unexpected memory of the corduroy pants. But I think it's also related to "just play dumb, whatever you know." Anyway, I don't know the real answer. But I do have an unnatural love for this song, and these lines in particular.
Friday, April 13, 2001
You put the boom boom into my heart You send my soul sky high when your lovin' starts Jitterbug into my brain Goes a-bang bang bang 'til my feet do the same...
I can't be alone in thinking that "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is one of the most perfect expressions of pop music ever. That song makes me happy every damn time I hear it.
Saturday, April 07, 2001
Crush With Eyeliner R.E.M.
I know you I know you've seen her She's a sad tomato She's three miles of bad road Walking down the street Will I never meet her? She's a real woman-child Oh my kiss breath turpentine
I am smitten I'm the real thing (I'm the real thing) Have you seen her come around? My crush with eyeliner
I'm in like. I'm infatuated. It's all too much-the pressure. She's all that I can take What position should I wear? Cop an attitude? (you faker) How can I convince her? (Faker) That I'm invented too, yeah
I am smitten I'm the real thing (I'm the real thing) We all invent ourselves and, uh, you know me
Yeah, she's a sad tomato She's three miles of bad road She's her own invention (She's her own invention) That gets me in the throat What can I make myself be? Life is strange, yeah (Life is strange) What can I make myself be (Fake her) To make her mine?
I am smitten I'll do anything (I'll do anything) A kiss breath turpentine, my crush with eyeliner
I am smitten You know me (Yeah, you know me) I could be your Frankenstein my crush with eyeliner
I am smitten I'm the real thing (I'm the real thing) Won't you be my valentine? My crush with eyeliner
Thursday, April 05, 2001
I mentioned Art of the Mix the other day on my main page, because I think it's very cool. I posted some of my mixes there, and three people wrote and wanted to trade with me! So now I am involved in trades and I'm looking forward to getting some cool new stuff to listen to. Excellent!
