I'm putting together a compliation of songs. I'll burn a CD and call it: "WHY?". Here's the song list
What's going on? - Marvin Gaye
Sign o' the Times - Prince
Rivers of Babylon - The Melodions
Life During Wartime - Talking Heads
This Must Be the Place (Native Melody) - Talking heads
In My Life - The Beatles
I Fall to Pieces - Patsy Cline
Cross Road Blues - Robert Johnson
September Song - Sarah Vaughan
One Cylinder - Lou Donaldson
Many Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff
Redemption Song - Stevie Wonder
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
God Bless the Child - Stanley Turrentine
I Say a Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin
God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
Avalon - Roxy Music
We'll Meet Again - (YOW! Some woman in the 1950's...song from the end of Dr. Strangelove)
And, pasted below, the words to Fortunate Son
Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Yeah, the red, white, and blue
When the band plays 'Hail To The Chief'
Yeah, they'll point the cannon at you
It ain't me, it ain't me
I'm no millionaire's son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Well, they help themselves, yeah
When the taxman comes to the door
House looks a like a rummage sale
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no millionaire's son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, no
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes
Yeah, when they send you down to war
Well, when you ask them how much you should give
Yeah, it's always more, more, more
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no senator's son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I'm no fortunate one
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no military son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate son
Take it away...
9.26.2001
Here's a poem I wrote today.
#######################
Why?
Down ahead of us at the junction
There is a man standing, gesturing ambiguously
What meaning he is attempting to communicate
Can neither be told nor known exactly
Though we are aboard this train, passengers by association
We have forgotten its' destination
(My Canadian friend emails
About her recent visit to Auschwitz)
We have forgotten a lot of things before us
About that man standing, gesturing ambiguously
And we have forgotten who
Is at the control of the engine of this train
A glance out of the train window and behind
Reveals a dusty, ashen gray
A conflagration of black and white and blood red and the blues
A contamination of hate clouds the windows, obscures us from seeing
The man's arms are moving
But how to interpret the signal
Puffs of smoke as if from a starters pistol
But we defer untrained for these Olympics
No dais to distinguish the
1-2-3 (all aboard!)
We lurch and I grasp the safety handle
And pull toward me what is most important (my girls)
And misty-eyed from fear and grief
We hope beyond hope that this train won't move on (the horns sound)
Toward that junction
And on to the next gray, loveless destination
#######################
Why?
Down ahead of us at the junction
There is a man standing, gesturing ambiguously
What meaning he is attempting to communicate
Can neither be told nor known exactly
Though we are aboard this train, passengers by association
We have forgotten its' destination
(My Canadian friend emails
About her recent visit to Auschwitz)
We have forgotten a lot of things before us
About that man standing, gesturing ambiguously
And we have forgotten who
Is at the control of the engine of this train
A glance out of the train window and behind
Reveals a dusty, ashen gray
A conflagration of black and white and blood red and the blues
A contamination of hate clouds the windows, obscures us from seeing
The man's arms are moving
But how to interpret the signal
Puffs of smoke as if from a starters pistol
But we defer untrained for these Olympics
No dais to distinguish the
1-2-3 (all aboard!)
We lurch and I grasp the safety handle
And pull toward me what is most important (my girls)
And misty-eyed from fear and grief
We hope beyond hope that this train won't move on (the horns sound)
Toward that junction
And on to the next gray, loveless destination
