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

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.

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

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

Daughtry - September

If a month can herald autumn it has to be September, and the month always brings to mind the song 'September' by Daughtry ...

In the middle of September we'd still play out in the rain
Nothing to lose but everything to gain ~

September
Daughtry

How the time passed away, all the trouble that we gave
And all those days we spent out by the lake

Tina Turner / Sting - On Silent Wings

If there's a mention of 'wings' or 'flying' my ears tune in - happens all ... the ... time!

Of course the song 'On Silent Wings', performed by Tina Turner and Sting and released in 1996, has nothing to do with flying but rather with the slow demise of a relationship. Amazingly, this song conveys a quiet acceptance of the changes brought on by time - and even a sense of peace ... At least that's my take - feel free to disagree ...

On Silent Wings
Tina Turner, Sting

There was a time when I would have followed you
To the end of the earth
I was willing to share it all with you, the love, the hurt

Propellerheads / Shirley Bassey - History Repeating

If I had a penchant for betting I'd bet that the name Shirley Bassey brings to mind the theme songs to the James Bond films 'Goldfinger', 'Diamonds Are Forever', and 'Moonraker' in the '60s and '70s and little -if anything- else. No question, great songs brought to life by her unmistakable voice, but to me, the song "History Repeating" written by Propellerheads' Alex Gifford beats those by miles and hands down :-) 

History Repeating

The word is about, there´s something evolving,
whatever may come, the world keeps revolving...
They say the next big thing is here,
that the revolution´s near,
But to me it seems quite clear
that it´s all just a little bit of history repeating.

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

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 :)