A blast from the past

[avevale_intelligencer]

I first heard this song on a radio in the middle distance, many years ago. I was working at Titan at the time, my least worst job ever. Thatcher was still in power but the tide seemed to be on the turn, Jan was still in what seemed like full health, we were both working and happy with each other, and life was--not perfect, but good. Filk hadn't happened to me yet, but you can't have everything. Titan was handling the beautifully designed books of Alasdair Gray, who I think coined or at any rate popularised the punch line (he attributed it to Canadian poet Dennis Lee), so I recognised it immediately. It was and is a wonderful song, and it chimed with my mood at the time, or at least my mood when I was having a good day. I liked it, but I couldn't find out who sang it, and other things supervened as they do, but the song stayed with me.

And today a friend linked to it on Google Plus, and I heard it for the first time since then, and thought about then and now, and what my life was like and how I felt. The thing about depression, as I think anyone will tell you, is that when you're in it it seems to have lasted for ever--you can't recall ever feeling truly good or happy or having the stamina to do whatever you want. And there is, in that, a kind of negative comfort.

I can't even imagine living in a better nation now. Not and believe it.

EDIT, after repeated listenings; on the other hand, I'd really love to sing this song with a bunch of my friends...

Comments

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

Dennis Lee. A childhood favorite of mine, noted not only for his irreverent poetry anthologies, but also for penning most of the songs for Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock.

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

Also, Oysterband is love.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

I can't even imagine living in a better nation now. Not and believe it.

This is truly sad. As bad as the world is, it's not yet impossible to reverse the slide. Hearing about someone who's given up is discouraging, though.

May you find something that gives you, not just hope, but a reason to believe. Even something small -- because many smalls can make a large difference.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I'm discouraging. Bear in mind that the giving up is probably in part due to internal phenomena--if I felt better I might have more capacity to bear the present evil and hope for future good.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

+1

It's a great song. I think it deserves to be performed. By all means get some friends together and sing it.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Also, thinking about it, the song isn't about believing--it's about acting as if you have faith till faith is given unto you. Belief is not required; only work.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

I'm up for it on bass. You want me to bring a bass (or two) in August? (Dunno all the other instruments on there, but we can find a djembe player easily enough and we know at least one with a finger-harp thing and a couple of fiddlers.) A modal (Am, F and G seem to be the chords).

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

Count me in!

(...Oops, I missed it. Count me again? =:o} )

[keristor.livejournal.com]

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