Tracy Chapman ~ Mountains o' Things

The mind is a mysterious thing, indeed. Tonight, meandering through non-essential stories on the web something I ran across sparked Tracy Chapman's "Mountain o' Things" and it has been playing on a loop since. Like so many of Tracy Chapman's songs, the rhythm, the intensity of her presentation and the rawness of her voice can grip you and hold on, and if so it may take a while for the lyrics to really sink in. Due to the trigger story some lines particularly resonate tonight:

Good people are only
My stepping stones
It's gonna take all my mountains o' things
To surround me
Keep all my enemies away
Keep my sadness and loneliness at bay ...  

And then, there's of course the last lines:

I'll be dreaming, dreaming... dreaming...

"Mountains o' Things" was included in her debut album which was released more than 25 years ago ... and even after all that time the song still speaks volumes and doesn't appear to have lost any of its pertinence ~

Mountains o’ Things

Tracy Chapman

The life I've always wanted

I guess I'll never have

I'll be working for somebody else

Until I'm in my grave

I'll be dreaming of a live of ease

And mountains Oh mountains o' things

Leonard Cohen -- The Guests

... hung up on Leonard Cohen, and for whatever reason 'The Guests' are playing on my mind ...

And "welcome, welcome" cries a voice
"Let all my guests come in"

The Guests
Leonard Cohen

One by one, the guests arrive
The guests are coming through
The broken-hearted many
The open-hearted few

Gordon Lightfoot - Whispers of the North

Seven weeks between the old job and the new one. Seven weeks to my own; time to unwind, to relax, to renew, and to take a deep breath. For reasons I wouldn’t know how to put into words Canada always was a land I wanted to visit and finally there was my chance. 

My memory of the first day heading into Canada is fuzzy thanks to an uninvited travel companion: a severe cold no doubt caught on the flight over to Seattle. Surely, my nose then was as big and red as that of Rudolph the Reindeer, dripping remnants of the brain that was being pounded to mush by a headache without equals – ‘nough said … Although the recollection of that first day is spotty at best, two things stand out bright and clear.

Pentangle - Reflection

Artists have an immense amount of tools at their disposal to paint their mental picture of the world and convey it to their audience. Be it the colors of the rainbow and the texture of the brushstroke used to paint a picture, the words, syntax and possibly the rhyme to tell a story, the melody, the rhythm and instrument to perform music. A song can expand the palette of the artist by adding words.

Reflection by Pentangle to me is a perfect amalgam of words and music, voices and instruments. It is hard to believe that it dates back to 1971 – more than 45 years ago.

Cat Stevens - O Caritas

My mind keeps going back in time only to find songs that feel as if written for today ~ the message still resonating - at least with me. Nothing much seems to have changed since my mother translated the Latin portion of Cat Stevens' O Caritas for me. The cover of the album Catch Bull At Four provides an English translation which - while not literal - still very much brings the message home:

I don't want to lose the harmony of the universe

I see all things... burning, I hear men... shouting.

Now is the light of the world and the stars going out

Ballad of Yarmouth Castle - Gordon Lightfoot

There's something about the majesty and relentless power that is the ocean inspiring awe and fear alike and keeping me fascinated in spite of tragedies like the loss of the Yarmouth Castle. Here's to her and to all other ships and souls who came to rest below the waves ~

Ballad Of Yarmouth Castle
Gordon Lightfoot

Well, it's four o'clock in the afternoon
And the anchors have been weighed
From Miami to Nassau
She's bound across the waves

Josh Tarp and The Still - Glory

Sometimes it's a trailer on TV but it's not the pictures that grab the attention, or even the comment running along. Much rather, it's the song that plays in the background ... It took me quite some time to figure this one out: Glory by Josh Tarp and The Still ~ time well worth spending as I've discovered a new-to-me band with a sound that's right up my alley ~

Bandpage provides the following brief bio:

Josh Tarp and The Still creates music that pushes the boundaries of genre stereotypes, creating a balanced pallet of folk, soul, and classic rock rounded together by constructively effortless songwriting. Since beginning this project in 2010, theirs songs have impacted a diverse and growing audience of true music lovers and easy listeners.

Glory

I dreamed I saw the devil
Dressed in his Sunday suit

Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love

My eyes want to overflow, my mind is filled with your songs, my heart is heavy. But most of all, I'm grateful for all that your music, your songs and your poetry have added to my life ...

R - I - P

Dance Me to the End of Love
Leonard Cohen

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Pentangle - Lord Franklin

There are many times where music compelled me to investigate further into topics, history, or places. In rare cases, however, something I read led me to the music. Such was the case of Lord Franklin and his search of the Northwest Passage which I first encountered in Sten Nadolny's novel 'The Discovery of Slowness' (original German title: Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit). The recent rediscovery of the HMS Terror has reminded me of the ballad 'Lord Franklin' aka 'Lady Franklin's Lament' which recalls the loss of the expedition ...

Lord Franklin
Pentangle, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn

It was homeward bound one night on the deep
Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep
I dreamed a dream and I thought it true
Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew

Tracy Chapman - Mountains O' Things

I love listening to Tracy Chapman's songs, the intensity of her presentation and the rawness of her voice. And not to forget the lyrics which are worth to listen to carefully. Mountains o' Things was included in her debut album which was released more than 25 years ago ... and in all that time I've not grown tired of listening to it ~

Mountains o’ Things
Tracy Chapman

The life I've always wanted
I guess I'll never have
I'll be working for somebody else
Until I'm in my grave
I'll be dreaming of a live of ease
And mountains Oh mountains o' things

Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust

"Well I'll be damned ..." indeed!

To me, 'Diamonds and Rust' by Joan Baez is one of those songs that does not sound its age, and the unmistakable voice of Joan Baez is one that doesn't grow old. Of course to me it has little to do with Bob Dylan -the one Joan Baez talks about in her song - but rather with the incredible chance which had me hear this song on the radio after a similar "here comes your ghost again ... you happened to call" moment ...

Diamonds and Rust
Joan Baez

Well I'll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full
And you happened to call
And here I sit
Hand on the telephone
Hearing a voice I'd known
A couple of light years ago
Heading straight for a fall

Leonard Cohen - Bird on the Wire

Today I learned that Marianne Ihlen has died last week. Marianne Ihlen is the 'Marianne' addressed by Leonard Cohen in his song 'So long, Marianne'. One of the articles reporting of her passing also mentioned that 'Bird on the Wire' was among her favorite songs. Here's to you, Marianne - Rest in Peace ...

Bird on the Wire
Leonard Cohen

Like a bird on a wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Like a fish on a hook
Like a knight in some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee

Gareth Dunlop and Kim Richey - One And The Same

Sometimes I hear a song and I get goose bumps because the lyrics, or at least parts of them, seem to address me, talk to me, and call me out. "One And The Same" written and performed by Gareth Dunlop and Kim Richey falls into that category and, somehow, has been on my mind for some time now. The video comes with the lyrics but I've added a copy anyway. I just think they are worth contemplating ... 

... what's rolling around in your head - it's too hard to say so you leave it unsaid ...

One And The Same

I know what's rolling, around in your head
It's too hard to say so, you leave it unsaid
It's easier to turn, and walk away instead

Paul Simon - The Cool, Cool River

Paul Simon's album "The Rhythm of the Saints" accompanied me on one of my first road trips in the U.S. By the end of the trip I knew all of the songs by heart. Of course, by the end of the trip sadness began casting a shadow over the sunny days - the care free time was running short, the 'normal life' and its hectic and constraints began looming ~ and the closer I go to the end of the road, the more I turned to "The Cool, Cool River" ...  

[Ed. 24.07.16] Another city, another coward spilling blood ... "sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears" ...

The Cool, Cool River

Moves like a fist through traffic
Anger and no one can heal it
Shoves a little bump into the momentum
It's just a little lump but you feel it
In the creases and the shadows
With a rattling deep emotion
The cool, cool river
Sweeps the wild, white ocean

Lokua Kanza - Shadow Dancer

To me, music is all about emotions. When I close my eyes and listen to "Shadow Dancer" by Lokua Kanza I'm carried away to dancing away a warm summer night under a star-lit sky away from the hassle of the city ~ perhaps on a beach or on the shores of a lake (I love open water so, yeah, an ocean, lake or river has to be there) ... 

Of course that's just me and the emotions evoked in somebody else may be completely different :)

Shadow Dancer
(Ray St John/Lokua Kanza)

Angel of the night
Come into my life
Answer every prayer
And stay

Kitaro - Matsuri (live)

My parents weren’t big on letting their pre-teen kids watch TV, and bedtimes were adamantly set and to be observed. Of course, any exception such as allowing us to watch ‘adult’ TV on occasion made those TV programs extra special. One of those exceptions was “The Silk Road: The Rise and Fall of Civilizations” which aired way past my then bedtime.

I have to admit that I don’t recall too much of the documentary (I’ll have to search the web – I sure would love to see it again). What I do recall is the amazing soundtrack (composed by Kitaro) and breathtaking pictures of sweeping foreign landscapes beckoning to be explored ...

Paul Simon - Under African Skies

... "these are the roots of rhythm and the roots of rhythm remain" ...

Paul Simon is a wonderful storyteller, and I've been following his music for quite a while. To get to know one of his songs has become a three stage process for me. Firstly, focusing on the lyrics until I feel well acquainted with the story; secondly, letting myself get caught in the melody and rhythm of the song; and lastly, bringing it all together: the words, the melody, and the rhythm, painting beautiful pictures for my mind's eye to enjoy.

Happy listening :)

Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah

I've been a fan of Leonard Cohen since I've first heard his music back in my teens. Perhaps the initial fascination was somewhat influenced by the fact that I had just lost my father and the ambiguity I found in the lyrics seemed to fit any mood -it still does- while the harmonies always sooth. Back then I drove my poor mother to distraction by playing Leonard Cohen songs for hours deep into the night. Imagine my utter astonishment -and delight, of course- when about 20 years later my mother called me to let me know that she'd gone to a Leonard Cohen concert and absolutely loved it.
 

Hallelujah (/ˌhælɨˈluːjə/ HAL-ə-LOO-yə) is a transliteration of the Hebrew word הַלְּלוּיָהּ (Modern halleluya, Tiberian halləlûyāh), which is composed of two elements: הַלְּלוּ (second-person imperative masculine plural form of the Hebrew verb hallal: