Sunday in the South...

My Mom's Dad hailed from South Carolina. But he was as happy as a clam when he lived in California for may years. Mom tells me that I look like Grandpa Gilstrap, and that I love California like he did. She always paid homage to our southern roots, and especially the fact that her people felt incredibly wronged by the War.

Anyone from the South knows of which war I speak. They're still angry down there. Growing up in Michigan, I can not even begin to fathom the kind of individual that would feel, deep down, wronged by the things that they lost in the American Civil War. But anyways, it's an old-school train of thought that I don't subscribe to.

But if you've ever heard this song, you might get an idea of how small-town America feels about it's boys and girls that it sends out into the world. I'm still a small-town/farm girl. And it's weird how I feel that a little part of me still needs to succeed on behalf of them. (Of course, then I go Home to Michigan and tell the tales of my life, and then come back here and make more tales).

Shenandoah - Sunday In The South

Mill worker houses lined up in a row,
another southern sunday morning blow
Beneath the steeple all the people have begun
shakin' hands with the man who grips the gospel gun
While the quiet prayer, the smell of dinner on the ground
heals up the morning air, ain't nothin' sweeter around

I can almost hear my mama pray:
"Oh lord forgive us when we doubt,"
another sacred sunday in the south

A ragged rebel flag flies high above it all
popping in the wind like an angry cannon ball
The halls of history are cold and still,
but they smell the powder burnin' and they probably always will
And on the old town square under the barber shop pole,
they sat me up in the chair when I was four years old

I can almost hear my papa say:
"Won't you hold still son, stop squirmn' around
another sacred sundays coming down"

I can almost hear the old folks say:
"You'll make it big one day, you'll leave this town,"
Some other lazy sunday you'll come back around

I can feel the evening sun go down,
and all the lights in the houses one by one go out
Softly in the distance nothing stirs about
and the night is filled with the sound of a whipporwil
On a sunday in the south

A Point of Wonder

.... some may wonder why I so often publish lyrics. The answer is "I listen to a lot of music". For instance, if you go to http://launch.yahoo.com you'll find that I'm a ratings master (enter wxgddss at the DJ). Probably only 21,000 ratings. But my music tastes are ecclectic and varied.

So back to the point of wonder. Why these lyrics? Why here?

Simply: moving, beautiful music.

BTW... I got a new iPod last night. Before, it was an iPod mini, 4 GB. I sold that one to Kiki and got a 20 GB iPod colour for $100 off retail. How did I do that, you ask? www.craigslist.com Go there. It's a Good Thing.

Happy Listening!

Today is the First Day of my Life

BRIGHT EYES

"First Day Of My Life"

This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach

Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don’t know where I am I don’t know where I’ve been
But I know where I want to go

And so I thought I’d let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you And I wondered if I could come home

Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you had just woke up And you said “this is the first day of
my life
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you But now I don’t care I could go
anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy”

So if you want to be with me
With these things there’s no telling
We just have to wait and see
But I’d rather be working for a paycheck
Than waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time is different
I mean I really think you like me...

Oh M.W.... I love you....

CARBON LEAF LYRICS

"Life Less Ordinary"

Live a life less ordinary
Live a life extraordinary with me
Live a life less sedentary
Live a life evolutionary with me

Well I hate to be a bother,
But it's you and there's no other,
I do believe
You can call me naive but...
I know me very well (at least as far as I can tell)
And I know what I need

The night you came into my life
Well it took the bones of me, took the bones of me
You blew away my storm and strife
And shook the bones of me, shook the bones of me
By the way, I do know why you stayed away...
I will keep tongue-tied next time

Live a life less ordinary
Live a life extraordinary with me
My face had said too much
Before our hands could even touch
To greet a 'hello'
(So much for going slow...)

A little later on that year
I told you that I loved you dear
What do you know?
This you weren't prepared to hear

I'm a saddened man, I'm a broken boy
I'm a toddler with a complex toy
I've fallen apart, since the ambush of your heart

The night you came into my life
Well it took the bones of me, took the bones of me
You blew away my storm and strife
And shook the bones of me, shook the bones of me.
By the way, I do know why you stayed away
I will keep tongue-tied but...

Honey understand, honey understand
I won't make demands
Honey understand, honey understand
We could walk without a plan.
Honey understand (honey), honey understand
I won't rest in stone all alone
Honey understand, honey understand
I'm all ready to go
But you already know...

Live a life less ordinary
Live a life extraordinary with me.
If I could name you in this song
Would it make you smile and sing along?
This is the goal: to get into your soul
If I could make you dance for joy
Could that be the second-chance decoy?
The bird-in-hand I would need
To help you understand?

The night you came into my life
well it took the bones of me, took the bones of me
You blew away my storm and strife
And shook the bones of me, shook the bones of me
By the way, I do know why you stayed away
I will keep tongue-tied next time

Fortune Cookie Fortunes

It seems that the best of the fortunes come about in the most needed times of one's life. Mine tonight? "Being aware of your fears will greatly improve your life". Nice that it would come a couple of days before I attend the marriage of M.W. son. His shrew of an ex will be there, along with everyone she's ever bad-mouthed me to. Intimidating? Frightening? Yah, shure, you-betcha!

One of my fav. fortunes of the past? "Stop looking forever... happiness is right beside you". That's the one that kepe my first marriage together when I moved from Michigan to Oklahoma. Another one? "Success is like a kite: big winds raise it higher". That one convinced me to weather a stormy job until I found something else in the field that I liked.

No Place to Go
M.W. is at a party tonight for his son. His daughter is at a party for his daughter-in-law-to-be. I'm not welcome, so I've decided to watch Supernanny, paint my nails, and pop a bottle of bubbly. Why the hell not? I'm making my own happiness tonight. Rather than be in an uncomfortable and stuffy "corn-cob up the butt" house, I'm sitting around in my tank-top and panties, feet on the coffee table, remote-control in hand.

does life get much more satisfying than this? It does if you go to the freezer and find a pint of Ben-n-Jerry's!