Monday, October 27, 2008

Favorite Song Lyrics Monday

(It's Monday: I can't think of any way to make this alliterative, although I'd like it if it were. Any suggestions?)

I’m starting something new today to brighten up my Mondays: Favorite Song Lyrics Monday. How can focusing on a favorite song not help to make the beginning of the work week a little brighter? Anyone else who wants to join in and post favorite song lyrics on Mondays is welcome to take the idea and run with it. You can post lyrics every Monday, some Mondays, one Monday...it's up to you.


My choice for this Monday is “A Horse in the Country” (an appropriate choice having gone on my morning walk on what was a very brisk fall day). Back when I was a twenty-something, and it seemed all my friends were settling down to “become their mothers and their fathers without a sound,” I liked to think that I was the one who bought a one-way subway ticket and left them all behind. I felt so sorry for the woman in this song, as I listened to it over and over again. Yeah, nineteen really is way too young to marry, but don’t we all know what it’s like to meet someone who makes our guts just burn? Even though I wasn’t stuck in an old marriage, wondering what might have happened if I'd made different choices, I could relate to the sadness of it all, and I loved the hope of the horse. It made me wish I were a rider and had a horse in the country. Don’t we also all, sometimes, just want to saddle up and ride away (especially first thing on Monday when we open our email in-box and feel overwhelmed)? I still hit the replay (sometimes more than twice) on the steering wheel in my car when I’m driving around and this one comes up.



A HORSE IN THE COUNTRY

The Cowboy Junkies


The money would be pretty good

if a quart of milk were still a dollar

or even if a quart of milk were still a quart.

And the hours, well, I don’t mind

how they creep on by like an old love of mine

it’s the years that simply disappear

that are doing me in.


Guess I married too young,

yeah, nineteen was just too young,

but sometimes you meet someone

and your guts just burn.

It’s not that I don’t love him anymore

it’s just that when I hear him

coming through that front door

my heart doesn’t race like it did once before.


But I’ve got a horse out in the country

I get to see him every second Sunday.

He comes when I call him

yeah, he knows his name.

One day I’ll saddle up

and the two of us will ride away.


This weather I could almost stand

if the sun would shine a little brighter

or even if the sun would shine at all.

But lately it just seems to me

that this life has lost its mystery

and these cold fall mornings seem to bite

just a little bit harder.


And all my friends have settled down

become their mothers and their fathers

without a sound.

Except for Cathy,

she bought a one-way subway ticket

and left us all behind.


But I’ve got a horse out in the country

I get to see him every second Sunday.

He comes when I call him,

yeah, he knows my name.

One day I’ll saddle up

and the two of us will ride away.


This town wouldn’t be so bad

if a girl could trust her instincts

or even if a girl could trust a boy.

10 comments:

Heather said...

I like this idea! I'm going to work on this - now which song...

Anonymous said...

I don't know this song at all, from over here in a different country, but it always amazes me how song lyrics manage to say so much with so little, and in such a direct way.

ZoesMom said...

I love that song and really like this idea. I'll be getting on the bandwagon!

Jonnifer said...

These are beautiful, sad lyrics. They really put you there in the world of the narrator.

Anonymous said...

Great idea! I look forward to reading more.

Wrt to names and with a nod to the Bangles, I could only come up with '[Just] Another Lyric Monday' - the only way I can think of to have an alliteration is to 'Frenchify' it: 'Lyric Lundi', less than ideal I know. Anyway, feel free to reject or ridicule!

Anonymous said...

I read ZoesMom's blog post which lead me to your blog - I think Music Monday is fun.

Emily Barton said...

Heather, I popped over and visited and will have to comment on what a great song you chose.

Litlove, I know, I'm in awe of those who can write songs, as it seems like such an impossible undertaking to me, and I can't believe how many can do it so well! The Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian band. I highly recommend them.

ZM, yea!

Jonnifer, exactly! And I like Lyric Lundi.

Sara, thanks for stopping by. And "Music Monday," there we go! Much better than Favorite Song Lyrics Monday. I'm going to go with Music Monday/Lyric Lundi.

Anonymous said...

Music Monday is a great idea - and I'll have to find this song now. I also like the idea of a "horse in the country" that gets you going on a slow Monday ;-)

Anonymous said...

I love when people can find a good reason to toss in French. I always feel like I didn't waste 4 years of my life in class! Lyric Lundi is awesome!

Heather said...

Emily! I forgot for this past Monday and looks like you did too. Back on the wagon for the 10th? :)