| Glen Campbell – Gentle On My Mind Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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It was written by John Hartford, one of the most amazing musicians this country has ever produced. It seems to be about a hippie and his one true love (wherever she is). Hartford says he wrote it in about 15 minutes, after seeing the movie "Doctor Zhivago", which triggered some memories for him. I can't see how they connect, but that's how things go. Someplace I read that, shortly after he first wrote it, a female friend visited them, and his wife suggested he play it for her. When he was finished, she was in tears, and said it was the prettiest thing she had ever heard, or words to that effect. It's simply brilliant. John Hartford died a few years ago, and I still think it's a crime that he got so little recognition for his musical contributions. But as somebody told me at the time, those of us that know him appreciate what he did, and that's enough. And now Glen Campbell is fading away, having just released what he says is his last album, given his failing health (Alzheimers). Sigh. |
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| Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Wasted On The Way Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| The basic theme is "it's never too late". They "went for it" when young, and became successful beyond their dreams, so now they're encouraging others to do the same. | |
| Jethro Tull – Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of a New Day) Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I think it's about making a new start... throwing everything aside, and starting over. The line that always hits me is "looking for a sign that the universal mind has written you into the passion play". To me, that refers to somebody who is (so to speak) on the sideline, watching other people taking risks, living their dreams, going outside themselves; and finally realizing that you have to jump into life with both feet. And the person then "skates away" on the "thin ice", which is a metaphor for moving off into emotionally dangerous and uncharted territory. It's similar in that to CSNY's "Wasted on the Way", when they sing "did you envy all the dancers who had all the nerve". The Universal Mind is of course just an alternate expression for... what? Fate, God, destiny, etc. So this line, I think, means that the person is waiting for life to reach out and grab him, rather than taking the plunge. And finally realizing that it ain't gonna happen. |
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