"A Mission In Life" is not a deep song but it contains much depth.
A snapshot of the mundane becomes a plea for connection, empathy, and grace.
In substance, it is simply a vignette in time. A monologue from a barkeep more than ready to close up for the night. He chides his customers, he flirts half-heartedly with his staff and in the final, repeated refrain, he expresses to "Sue" that she should strive for more. The melody, though... the slow but relentless rhythm, tell me that he might carry regrets about not having lived his fullest life. Over thirty years ago, it stood out. It gave me pause on each listen. As a much older person, it is goosebumps. As silly as some of his catalogue can get, Stan Ridgway has crafted a real bullet here and it does not miss.
"A Mission In Life" is not a deep song but it contains much depth.
A snapshot of the mundane becomes a plea for connection, empathy, and grace.
In substance, it is simply a vignette in time. A monologue from a barkeep more than ready to close up for the night. He chides his customers, he flirts half-heartedly with his staff and in the final, repeated refrain, he expresses to "Sue" that she should strive for more. The melody, though... the slow but relentless rhythm, tell me that he might carry regrets about not having lived his fullest life. Over thirty years ago, it stood out. It gave me pause on each listen. As a much older person, it is goosebumps. As silly as some of his catalogue can get, Stan Ridgway has crafted a real bullet here and it does not miss.