Lion Song
Long ago, before the internet, I lived in Chicago. I had just broken free of my family ties and was living on my own for the first time. There were many new freedoms that came with my liberation, one of them was the ability to listen to whatever music I wanted. It was an awkward stage, kind of like a late puberty, in which devoured albums, listening to them repeatedly till they were part of my DNA. AC/DC, Annie Difranco, Hootie and the Blowfish, DC Talk, Django Reinhardt, Aretha Franklin... I hunted down recommendations at CD store's and went to concerts in cathedrals, bars, living rooms, and lawns.
There are a few concerts from that time that stick out in my mind like one of those thorny dandelions in your lawn that hides itself amidst the other innocuous looking ones. The ones that, while walking barefoot, make you stop mid-stride and draw air through your teeth and curse.
A blind friend of mine invited me to a Harrod and Funk concert, while I had never heard of the guys it trusted the advice of a man that relied mostly on his hearing to get through life. I wished desperately, when we arrived, that my friend could see. To be honest I don't remember the name of the church but it was a clearly built as a monument to Glory of the Lord, with it's seeming miles of stained glass and dizzying acoustics. Although, the hard wooden pews were built for utility not comfort.
My memories of that first concert are foggy but I remember the fellows were funny and one did most of the talking. They sang things I had only thought, things that didn't have words yet, and then they sang things I hadn't thought yet. I remember I wanted to crawl inside their guitars. I remember I feel asleep but not a sleepy sleep, a hypnotized sleep.
Of course I bought the album at the end and took it home and beat it within an inch of it's life. Till it too was mine.
There was one song that I was sure was about me. I was sure it was mine in fact, although had no idea what it was about. Lion Song. That song went with me around the world, literally. It got me through some of the loneliest days of my life, the most desperate, the most lost. It turned into my teddy bear with one eye.
Nearly a decade later, I went to yet another concert, at a bar, or a house, or a park, I don't really remember and I found out that "my song" was about a couple in hard times. This threw me off completely, I think I may have even felt a little disillusioned...and then I got married.
There are those of you who will think when you read this, "Oh no, what's wrong with her marriage?", and then there are those of you who are or have been married. There are a hundred things this song has taught me but today the two that stick out the most is that, while the scenery might change there is hardship, loneliness, desperation, and disorientation in all parts of life and somehow music gives us the permission to talk about it. Whether we are listening to it or playing were are being known. I wish I had the words to express how grateful I am for this.
There are a few concerts from that time that stick out in my mind like one of those thorny dandelions in your lawn that hides itself amidst the other innocuous looking ones. The ones that, while walking barefoot, make you stop mid-stride and draw air through your teeth and curse.
A blind friend of mine invited me to a Harrod and Funk concert, while I had never heard of the guys it trusted the advice of a man that relied mostly on his hearing to get through life. I wished desperately, when we arrived, that my friend could see. To be honest I don't remember the name of the church but it was a clearly built as a monument to Glory of the Lord, with it's seeming miles of stained glass and dizzying acoustics. Although, the hard wooden pews were built for utility not comfort.
My memories of that first concert are foggy but I remember the fellows were funny and one did most of the talking. They sang things I had only thought, things that didn't have words yet, and then they sang things I hadn't thought yet. I remember I wanted to crawl inside their guitars. I remember I feel asleep but not a sleepy sleep, a hypnotized sleep.
Of course I bought the album at the end and took it home and beat it within an inch of it's life. Till it too was mine.
There was one song that I was sure was about me. I was sure it was mine in fact, although had no idea what it was about. Lion Song. That song went with me around the world, literally. It got me through some of the loneliest days of my life, the most desperate, the most lost. It turned into my teddy bear with one eye.
Nearly a decade later, I went to yet another concert, at a bar, or a house, or a park, I don't really remember and I found out that "my song" was about a couple in hard times. This threw me off completely, I think I may have even felt a little disillusioned...and then I got married.
There are those of you who will think when you read this, "Oh no, what's wrong with her marriage?", and then there are those of you who are or have been married. There are a hundred things this song has taught me but today the two that stick out the most is that, while the scenery might change there is hardship, loneliness, desperation, and disorientation in all parts of life and somehow music gives us the permission to talk about it. Whether we are listening to it or playing were are being known. I wish I had the words to express how grateful I am for this.