I discovered Nick Drake back in 11th grade just as we were reading John Keats in English class. I forget which Keats poem prompted a discussion of the sense of tragedy that can be linked to feelings of joy. What you’re enjoying in one moment is also unbearably sad in that you know it’s all fleeting and is destined to wither away. I went home from school and that night listened to “Saturday Sun” and was struck by how Nick did the exact same thing here. You can be filled with love and affection for the people and places in your life, and still find that the logical conclusion is to have “wept for the day gone by.”
I discovered Nick Drake back in 11th grade just as we were reading John Keats in English class. I forget which Keats poem prompted a discussion of the sense of tragedy that can be linked to feelings of joy. What you’re enjoying in one moment is also unbearably sad in that you know it’s all fleeting and is destined to wither away. I went home from school and that night listened to “Saturday Sun” and was struck by how Nick did the exact same thing here. You can be filled with love and affection for the people and places in your life, and still find that the logical conclusion is to have “wept for the day gone by.”