Show me the way

… no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. – Jim Morrison

Seems most everyone needs someone to show him or her the way at some point.

While Jim Morrison of The Doors would have you believe that it was only to show him the way to the next whisky bar, you can be certain he had a pretty good idea that life was meant to be lived fully, for it’s of no use withering it away on false beliefs and insecure activities, in the hope of an after-life reward.

Morrison was famous for reciting poetry, sometimes improvising on the spur of the moment during live performances. And they don’t come better than the opening line to this blog.

Watch the entire video [the epicness comes between the Alabama Song and Love Me Two Times featured on the video above]. Below you will find the full extract of the poem Stoned Immaculate written by Morrison.

I’ll tell you this…
No eternal reward will forgive us now
For wasting the dawn.
Back in those days everything was simpler and more confused
One summer night, going to the pier
I ran into two young girls
The blonde one was called Freedom
The dark one, Enterprise
We talked and they told me this story
Now listen to this…
I’ll tell you about Texas radio and the big beat
Soft driven, slow and mad
Like some new language
Reaching your head with the cold, sudden fury of a divine messenger
Let me tell you about heartache and the loss of god
Wandering, wandering in hopeless night
Out here in the perimeter there are no stars
Out here we IS stoned
Immaculate.

Hine Ma Tov

I was at a delightful Israeli friend’s post-voting party yesterday, and remembered to ask her about a song that I’d always loved since watching the film Raid On Entebbe many many years ago.

The film is based on the real-life hijacking of an Air France plane with more than 100 Israeli citizens on board, by members of the Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine, and the subsequent successful mission by the Israeli Defense Force to rescue them at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

The song Hine Ma Tov was sung by the soldiers on the airplane en route to Entebbe to free the hostages who were being held at the airport with the support of then dictator Idi Amin. The only video I could manage to find is not of good sound quality, but wait until about 20 seconds when the commandos get into full rhythm. It’s just beautiful.

The Hebrew lyrics are taken from the final verse of Psalm 133, and is popular at Jewish feasts.

Hine(y) ma tov u’ma-nayim

Shevet ach-im gam ya-chad

It translates more or less into something that is quite wonderful and sorely needed in the world today.

Behold how good

and how pleasing

if brothers (people) could sit together in unity.

Peace, out!

Chasing Rabbits

I’m starting the weekend off early with some psychedelic rock…

Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane has the most amazing voice which is shown off to great effect on White Rabbit and the band’s other great hit of the 60’s Somebody To Love.

Apart from Slick’s inspiration for this song drawn from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass, there is a great deal of other trivia associated with it. It’s been covered at least 50 times by various artists from various genres, and they include George Benson, Patti Smith, The Damned and The Smashing Pumpkins.

It’s been featured either as an original or cover version in various films including Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas, The Game, Platoon, Stoned, Sucker Punch, Hideous Kinky, and in television series such as The Sopranos, American Dad, The Simpsons, Futurama, Supernatural, Warehouse 13, Blossom and The Osbournes.

As for the lyrics… well… if you’re sampling some of that shit this weekend, that’s your business.

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don’t do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she’s ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you’re going to fall
Tell ’em a hookah-smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Call Alice
When she was just small

When the men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you’ve just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice
I think she’ll know

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen’s off with her head
Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head
Feed your head

Keep ’em separated…

You gotta keep’m separated

They’re like the latest fashion
They’re like a spreading disease
The kids are strappin’ on their way to the classroom
Getting weapons with the greatest of ease… COME OUT AND PLAY

Yes, it’s lyrics! Offspring fans will find them instantly recognisable. It comes from the classic hit single Come out and Play released in 1994, off the album Smash. Have a listen:

***

The Offspring started out as Manic Subsidal way back in 1984. Around 1986, the band changed its name to “The Offspring.” Much nicer, what? And the rest as they say, is history.

Come Out And Play is considered their first major commercial success, and the album Smash holds the record (still, I think) for the most number of copies sold on an independent record label. The Offspring still carry the flag for punk rock to this day, churning out albums at regularish intervals, and don’t look like stopping any time soon.

Come Out And Play, together with Self Esteem from the same album, are not only two of my favorite Offspring songs, but two of my all-time favorite songs.

Brilliant!

Freshly Played #10: Pearl Jam

Another in my series on cool guitar riffs, this time by Pearl Jam, one more of my (many) favorite bands of all time.

Released in 1994, this song really speaks to me as I consider myself to be something of a dissident in my own country. From reading this blog, you will have noticed that I’m an outspoken critic of the political masters in charge, and I judge the democracy we are told we have, as a lie and a sham.

I dedicate this song to other dissidents in South Africa, and all over the world who stand up to political tyranny, and other forms of oppression.

Dissident

she nursed him there, over a night
i wasn’t so sure she wanted him to stay
what to say…what to say
but soon she was down, soon he was low
at a quarter past…a holy no…
she had to turn around
when she couldn’t hold, oh…she folded…
a dissident is here
escape is never, the safest path
a dissident, a dissident is here
and to this day, she’s glided on
always home but so far away
like a word misplaced
nothing said, what a waste
when she had contact…with the conflict…
there was meaning, but she sold him to the state
she had to turn around
when she couldn’t hold…she folded…
a dissident is here
escape is never, the safest path
a dissident, a dissident is here
she gave him away when she couldn’t hold…no…she folded…
a dissident is here
escape is never, the safest path
a dissident, a dissident is here
couldn’t hold on…she couldn’t hold…no…she folded…
a dissident is here
escape is never the safest place
a dissident is here

Freshly Played #8: Robert Plant

In continuation of my series on great guitar riffs, here is another amazing example:

Big Log

Released in 1983, it became Robert Plant’s first Top 40 solo hit after splitting up from Led Zeppelin. Incidentally, Phil Collins played drums on this song.

It is said that Plant’s lyrics are inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien of Lord of the Rings fame. I haven’t read any Tolkien but yes, the lyrics are quite poetic actually.

My love is in league with the freeway
It’s passion will ride, as the cities fly by
And the tail-lights dissolve, in the coming of night
And the questions in thousands take flight
My love is the miles and the waiting
The eyes that just stare, and a glance at the clock
And the secret that burns, and the pain that won’t stop
And it’s fuel is the years
Leading me on….

If you’re interested in that kind of thing, the rest of the lyrics can be found below the video on the YouTube website. And hey, nice hair Robert!

Freshly Played #6: Lynyrd Skynyrd

Simple Man

 

Remember when lyrics were simple and music was fresh and honest? We used to think that we were simple men, but it turned out that we were complicated as hell, usually unnecessarily so?

Lyrics

Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it’ll help you some sunny day

Oh, take your time don’t live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
Go find a woman you’ll find love
And don’t forget son there is someone up above

And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won’t you do this for me son if you can?

Forget your lust for the rich man’s gold
All that you need is in your soul
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied

And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won’t you do this for me son if you can? Oh yes, I will

Boy, don’t you worry you’ll find yourself
Follow your heart and nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied

And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won’t you do this for me son if you can?

Baby be a simple, be a simple man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man

Freshly Played #4: Khadja Nin

Wale Watu

Khadja Nin’s Wale Watu is a 1992 cover version of the song Keep on Singing released around 1987 by Sebastian Santa Maria. Khadja was born in Burundi, but now lives in Belgium. I loved this song the very first time I listened to it on release, but lost my CD when my house was broken into in the late 90’s. I however managed to re-acquire it a few weeks ago and have been listening to it almost daily.

A commenter on YouTube posted his English interpretation of the lyrics for Khadja’s version [lyrics here], which differs from the original song by Sebastian Santa Maria [further below]:

Far from all countries/Far from Paris or Rome/There are poor people/They don’t cry; they don’t beg/They respond in this way (?)/Those people sing/Even if they sleep hungry/Come in this way…everyday

Let alone useless words/Don’t moan about your health/You don’t know poverty/Look at those people/They don’t cry, they don’t beg/Those people sing/Even if they sleep hungry

Keep on Singing

Far away from the demonstrations,/Cities like Paris or Rome/Miles away from United Nations/You know this place that waits for more/Miles from Swissair’s destinations

There’s people singing in despite of all/There ain’t the things you know, yet they sing/They keep on singing…./Ooh, Bodah Budah Budeh…

Don’t come up with your Mapa Mundi/Or the latest Wildlife magazine/What your camera brought from Burundi/The front of your Ever-seen(?)/The streets of Potosi

Valentine’s Day: Overtime

Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto

This song is just beautiful in any language. It is also timeless. *

Lyrics [English translation in video]

Ue o muite arukou
Namida ga kobore naiyouni
Omoidasu harunohi
Hitoribotchi no yoru

Ue o muite arukou
Nijinda hosi o kazoete
Omoidasu natsunohi
Hitoribotchi no yoru

Shiawase wa kumo no ueni
Shiawase wa sora no ueni

Ue o muite arukou
Namida ga kobore naiyouni
Nakinagara aruku
Hitoribotchi no yoru

Omoidasu akinohi
Hitoribotchi no yoru

Kanashimi wa hosino kageni
Kanashimi wa tsukino kageni

Ue o muite arukou
Namida ga kobore naiyouni
Nakinagara aruku
Hitoribotchi no yoru

Ue o muite arukou
Namida ga kobore naiyouni

* Dedicated to the beautiful women who occupied Kyalami with me this past weekend, to make up for reciting such a weak poem.

Home for the holidays…

One more fitful sleep (yup, it’s really hot, even up here on the Highveld) and I’ll be undertaking my annual road trip down to Durban for the holidays. Hometown!

Before I leave though, I’d like to wish you all happy holidays too, no matter how you prefer to commemorate it. All I ask is that you be good for goodness sake, and hope that you enjoy my favorite rendition of Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Andrea Bocelli.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He’s making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who’s naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows if you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town

Remember now, it is possible to be good for goodness sake only…