May 13, 2003
Detroit or Buffalo
When I was in high school, my sister Nancy worked at a local record shop. One of her perks was being able to take home the demo albums after the store was done with them. What a eclectic mix of music! Most of it too weird, but there were some gems to be had. Paul Butterfield was one -- my first exposure to the blues. Then there was Barbara Keith...
I loved her debut album, Barbara Keith, and played it all the time. Alas, after countless moves and getting tired of lugging around tons of vinyl albums I unloaded my collection somewhere along the way. It's taken me years to replace some of that collection, but some have been lost forever.
The other day, in one of those long random marches through cyberspace, I happened on a web site for the Stone Coyotes -- Barbara Keith's band. And she'd re-recorded my favorite song from her debut album, "Detroit or Buffalo." It took me about a minute to order it off of Amazon.com. It's playing in the background here now while I'm rambling on, sounding not too different from the 1972 version...
DETROIT OR BUFFALO
People expect you to fall
Hit that same old wall
Really they don't want to help at all
They talk behind your back today
Shake their heads and say
"Well, I always knew that girl would come to no good anyway"
Better pack up and go
Detroit or Buffalo
Anybody want to know where, you don't know
God knows, everybody got to go sometime
And I'm taking this train to the end of the line
Missing every mile that friend of mine
Week three at Citi finds me getting settled into the routine of life working for a large corporation. Things that didn't bother me as a consultant are starting to irritate me. Decisions made at 30,000 feet are having a negative impact down here at 1,000 feet. Thank God my coworkers are as insane as I am -- humor, even as dark as ours is, allows us to get through the day.
And I haven't been too well myself
A lot of time upon the shelf
Saying that I don't need help when I do
But I'm going to be just fine
A lot of friends, a little wine
Still I wish I could see you again sometime
Killer has been very quiet lately -- says there's nothing wrong, just busy. I can only imagine what it's like to put your mother in a nursing home, and the work involved getting all of the financial details ironed out. Still, I miss my emails from my friend, even though I understand what's going on.
And my favorite construction/audio/video/computer/philosophy consultant is going through a bit of turbulence right now. Four words -- James is an ass. You're much better off without him. Time will let you see that, eventually.
Better pack up and go
Detroit or Buffalo
Anybody want to know where, you don't know
God knows, everybody got to go sometime
And I'm taking this train to the end of the line
Missing every mile that friend of mine
Isn't that sooooo appealing -- just to be able to pick up an go somewhere for a while to sort things out? But not very practical I suppose. This time of the year is so busy -- work, Bailey's school year winding down, tennis, Bible studies, yard work -- life!
It's hard to open up the door
Like you've done so many times before
Sometimes you think you just can't do it anymore
Take a chance and take a train
Out into the pouring rain
All you've got is your suitcase full of pain
Well, that's a bit over the top, isn't it? I can balance all of the pain, disappointment and hurt in this life with the sheer joy of listening to my daughter playing an English Horn solo in band, or hearing her oboe come through clear as a bell in the orchestra at church. Sure, I wish some things had worked out differently in life, don't we all? But as bad as things have ever gotten in my life, it's still been great to be alive. Things work out as they should, and my life isn't over yet!
Better pack up and go
Detroit or Buffalo
Anybody want to know where, you don't know
God knows, everybody got to go sometime
And I'm taking this train to the end of the line
Missing every mile that friend of mine
lyrics by Barbara Keith, © 1972 EMI Publishing
I received a nice complement today about my web page from someone that I haven't seen in close to thirty years, yet whom I remember like it was yesterday. It never ceases to amaze my wife that I can remember every lyric from every stupid sitcom from the 60s and 70s, but can't remember to tell her that her sister called this afternoon. Oh well, I've given up trying to explain that I'm wired differently. Some things you just have to accept...
Posted by mjwoods at May 13, 2003 08:23 PM