Wednesday, August 27, 2008

song writing as an illness




















Last night was perfect.

Our friend Catherine came over to help us make apricot fruit leather out of some nickel-sized apricots we picked off Jeff's tree.

Stacey surreptitiously left her guitar out in the hopes that Catherine would just forget where she was and what she was doing and, out of habit, pick up the guitar and start playing... It didn't quite happen like that, but after a bit of prodding, Catherine did agree to play us something... after we played her something.

I knew that Catherine had written some songs and I'd even heard her band play a few of them. She told me (Stacey had to keep her curfew and go to bed) she was going to play a more recent one, and she then proceeded to play the most simple and beautiful song I've heard in a long time about a cowboy. The lyrics were perfect and the the tune was beautiful. When I asked her how one writes a song (cause believe me...I have no clue) she said she doesn't know either...that her songs just come to her all at once and she spends a couple hours feverishly writing it (or "vomiting" it out, as she said) and then it's over...like the stomach flu, I guess.

After she left, the melody and the few words I could remember from the song followed me to bed. I awoke with only a few bits remaining but continued to go over them as I showered and came to work. Now, as I type this, all memory of the song are gone (welcome to my life, and my memory). My horrible realization is that youtube is not there to bail me out. I can't even just look up the lyrics online...there's nothing. The internet has failed me today, and I'm not sure that's ever happened before.

Do you think she will come sing the song to me every night before I go to bed? Maybe it'd be easier for her to just record it...there's a great idea :)

5 comments:

Andrea said...

Next time you need to record her and put it on YouTube. This way we can all enjoy :).

Jeff said...

Maybe if you hang out with her long enough, you will catch the song writing disease and occasionally vomit some out yourself.

By the way, I'm glad you are getting use out of my apricots. I have definitely shoveled more off the ground into the garbage than I have eaten. You are invited to come over and get as many as you like every summer as long as I own that house.

glarcy said...

awesome...thanks! In that case, I might also come thin them... :)

Jeff said...

Surprisingly enough. Robyn and I spent about an hour together thinning apricots one Saturday. But, I think it was too little too late. We could definitely use some thinning help early in the season, so by all means, feel free to come help improve the crop and you can enjoy the fruits (literally) of your labor later on.

tanyamae said...

love the photo... before i scanned the post... thought it was weird art... which... i guess it is... i was trying to figure out what it was or what it represented... then i realized it was just fruit leather.