Skip to main content

Time's Marching On



It's really hot in the Ottawa area this week. It was 29C yesterday and with the humidity felt like 37C. There's not much to do but sit under the fan or, with the aid of a couple of noodles (hey, that's what they call them - for my Brit friends, it's a woggle), float around the pool. The water temperature was 32C which works out to 90F. No twerkin' for this fella this week.

Needless to say one's mind kinda turns to mush and maybe it was sunstroke or sumpin' but after a while my mind started to wander. Then I popped open a Corona and I sat down to pull this post together.

I think I've made reference to this before but I'm at a certain age where it crosses my mind now and then - or maybe I'm at an age where I forget that I've mentioned it before - and that's the lyrics to that Leonard Cohen tune Tower of Song where he goes...

Well my friends are gone and my hair is grey
I ache in the places where I used to play

It's a great song and a great line. I love Cohen. I've got several of his CDs and I saw him perform a couple of years ago at Ottawa's National Arts Centre and when he hit the verse that goes...

I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice

...the audience erupted into claps, hoots and hollers because they immediately got the joke and the joke was on us. I don't think anyone would call Cohen's voice golden but it nevertheless is haunting, mesmerizing even.

But as I get older I often think of those lyrics - not the golden voice ones - those other ones.


And when I start thinking about them I get a little maudlin because it seems time has flown so quickly. You know the song September of My Years? Frank Sinatra sang it. The first verse goes...

One day you turn around, and it's summer
Next day you turn around, and it's fall
And suddenly, all the springs and winters of a lifetime
Whatever happened to them all


That's quite apt when you think of it. Well, it is when I think of it. 

But, hey, lest you think I'm always down in the dumps about these things I'm really not. Oh, no. Hey, one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs is Forever Young. And, let me tell you, it's a great philosophy. The last verse goes...

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young

At the risk of scaring most of you away - because good old Bob can be an acquired taste - here he is performing the song in the movie The Last Waltz with The Band in 1976... Two versions of the song were originally released on his Planet Waves album in 1974.



May you all stay forever young. 


Time for another Corona. Stay stupid my friends. We'll see you next week.

Comments

Cheryl P. said…
Love all those lyrics. As far as aging, I am not loving the lightening quick passage of time but appreciate that I am still feeling youthful on most days. It does seem that the older I get, the faster time appears to move. I won't have any trouble with the "stay stupid" part of your post.


Have a great day, dufus and enjoy floating around the pool.
nonamedufus said…
You know I remember as a kid summer holidays seemed so long that I actually couldn't wait to go back to school. Sick, I know. Now time just seems to fly by. I don't know where the heck it goes. Of course alcohol may have something to do with it.
Indigo Roth said…
Ah, Mr. Cohen. I'm just listening to Famous Blue Raincoat, and resisting the urge to waltz. Thank you for the prompt =) Indigo
Debra She Who Seeks said…
I love Leonard Cohen too. He and his golden voice are a National Treasure.
nonamedufus said…
You're welcome. Sincerely, N. Dufus.
nonamedufus said…
Indeed he is. He was absolutely wonderful when we saw him a couple of years back. He had the audience in the palm of his hand.
Cheryl said…
They both have such distinctive voices. I adore listening to a young Dylan when his lyrics were clear and understandable.
meleahrebeccah said…
"Needless to say one's mind kinda turns to mush"

My brain is FRIED from this weather. Seriously, I cannot think clearly AT ALL.

PS: I puffy heart all things Bob Dylan.
nonamedufus said…
You know, Mrs D says the same thing, although "adore" might be too strong a word.
nonamedufus said…
Dylan, Young, Cohen and Clapton would be my top four.
nonamedufus said…
Works for me. Hey Dylan's coming out with a new bootleg next month! http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bob-dylan-revisits-self-portrait-on-next-edition-of-bootleg-series-20130716
Chelle B. said…
We are all in this together. Except for me, I've found the fountain of youth but I am not sharing it so don't ask.
babs (beetle) said…
I love, love, love that song (Forever Young), though I have to say, I prefer Joan Baez singing it. Not that I don't like Bob Dylan, but that song cries out for a more gentle voice, in my humble opinion. Probably because I'm a soppy woman ;)
nonamedufus said…
Can you give me a hint?
nonamedufus said…
Oh, I love it too but did you know that last year Time magazine listed it as one of the ten worst Dylan songs. Go figure.

http://entertainment.time.com/2011/05/23/10-worst-bob-dylan-songs/
babs (beetle) said…
What do they know? Joan Baez wrote a great song about them, called 'Time Rag'. http://bit.ly/18jPxCY It's about an interview they did with her.
nonamedufus said…
Oh, that's too much. Hilarious, Babs. Thanks for sharing. (Bob who? - ha, ha)
nonamedufus said…
Yeah, I've a;ready pre-ordered it.
Bryan G. said…
I'm guessing that means no. ;)
Bryan G. said…
I'm just thankful for air conditioning and iced coffee myself in this heat.
Chelle B. said…
Not until I patent it.
Chelle B. said…
See above. :)
nonamedufus said…
I'm guessing you're right.
nonamedufus said…
We shouldn't complain. I complained all winter about the cold and the snow. But then I'm old, eh, and I love to complain.
Boom Boom Larew said…
Amazingly, I keep finding stupid things to do no matter how old I get. Go figure.
nonamedufus said…
I find stupidity increases with age. But then I'm at an age that I don't care.
Boom Boom Larew said…
Neither do I... next time I visit we can think up something else stupid to do.
Bryan G. said…
Then huh...I wonder what my excuse is. ;)
nonamedufus said…
Great! No shortage of stupidity here.
nonamedufus said…
You're young and don't know any better, Bryan.

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday Funnies

The Polka Dot Door

A long time ago, when I was 22, my first child was born.  That kid grew up on a little Canadian kid's show called Polka Dot Door, produced by the TV Ontario network.  And Dad, more often than not, sat through those shows with his little one. Nine or so years later when a brother, and a year after that when a sister came along number one son was moving on to Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard.  But there was a nice overlap where his siblings picked up where he had left off with Polka Dot Door.  And Dad was right there to welcome them. So you're looking at a Polka Dot Door veteran.  The show began in 1971 and ran to 1993.  I didn't watch the full run but I did get in my fair share.  The formula was pretty simple.  A young male and female host, which seemed to change every week, sang songs, told stories, made crafts and generally did their best stimulate little brains.  The show opened as follows... Imagination Day!  Oh boy!  You know what happens on Imagination D

SuperBowl Ads

Well, the game didn't go my way, but some of the American Super Bowl Ads (found at: http://www.myspace.com/superbowlads ) turned my crank... Diet Pepsi Max Super Bowl Ad: Wake Up People Ginseng & Caffeine Bud Light Wine & Cheese Party Super Bowl Commercial Bridgestone Tire Super Bowl Commercial: Squirrel vs Car Garmin Nuvi Super Bowl Commercial: Napolean Finds His Way w/ GPS Bud Light Super Bowl Ad: Immigrants with Carlos Mencia Planters Nuts Super Bowl Commercial: Woman Attracts Men w/ Nuts Pepsi Stuff Super Bowl Commercial: Justin Timberlake Bud Light Super Bowl Commercial: Cave Man Invents Wheel Coca Cola Super BOwl Commercial: Parade Balloon Victoria's Secret Super Bowl Commercial with Adriana Lima Book: Clapton - The Autobiography by Eric Clapton Music: New Seasons by The Sadies