I always feel the need to emphasis the fact that I don’t believe I will be able to enlighten anyone by this blog, but I think it will allow those that read it to understand my thinking more and what is going on… I do see some benefit to that.
There is a song by the artist Jackson Browne called The Pretender. If you haven’t heard it I strongly encourage you to listen to it several times… it’s a pretty good song. For many years I have really enjoyed this song and I have not been entirely sure why. A common superficial question to receive is: “what kind of music do you like?” Oddly enough I have been plagued by that question for sometime now because I am not entirely sure what kind of music I like… I just know that I like the music that I like. I feel like I have a very eclectic list of music that I like (but everyone does), but I cant say that I like everything of a certain genre or nothing of another. I would love to say that I hate everything that is country and rap, but I cant do that. Now I think very little of either genre is worth much, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut! Anyway, I have recently decided that much of the music that I most like are the individual songs that I can “sing along to” however dumb that sounds that’s what I have decided (that of course is not a comprehensive definition either). Jackson Browne’s The Pretender has always been a song that I could sing along and it has always carried with it a touch of nostalgia. I have recently started really listening to the words:
“I'm going to rent myself a houseIn the shade of the freewayI'm going to pack my lunch in the morningAnd go to work each dayAnd when the evening rolls aroundI'll go on home and lay my body downAnd when the morning light comes streaming inI'll get up and do it again”
Not a new concept, but I really like how he says it. The way he is singing it conveys the repetitive nature and the weight of the monotony. I really can feel that he thinks there is more to life than his daily routine, however, he also seems to promote that there is weight and value in daily routine; it is indeed a huge part of life. I sense some satisfaction in his voice. His work isn’t something that is a dread, but is almost an extension of himself… but it doesn’t complete him. I am starting to feel this way now and I think I like it. The days are over “before I know it” (how does that work anyway… BEFORE you know it…sorry, sidetrack) and I am waking up doing it all again. I can see how “time can get away from a person” something he addresses in the next thoughts.
“I want to know what became of the changes
We waited for love to bring
Were they only the fitful dreams
Of some greater awakening
I've been aware of the time going by
They say in the end it's the wink of an eye
And when the morning light comes streaming in
You'll get up and do it again”
I think this is a fantastic way of addressing the first stanza and the questions that arise. I like that he addresses the previous thoughts with questions: what happened to the dreams that we had? Were they apart of some higher level of enlightenment in our “honeymoon” stage? This is an interesting concept. I don’t know how life will be like in the future, but I don’t want to find myself just going through the motions because that’s all I have energy for or that’s all that my crazy busy schedule will allow for. This is a HUGE concept that I am struggling with. I don’t want to be as busy as I see so many people are these days, but I don’t know how to avoid it in the future… I plan on fighting it hard though. I feel that Browne is also frustrated that so much of his life has gone by and the dreams that he and his wife had in the beginning are so far gone he is wondering what happened to them. How did they end up here? He knows that time is slipping by, but he will still get up in the morning and be in the same situation.
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7 comments:
Great song. I never really paid attention to the words. That first stanza sounds like most people's life post college. I'm guessing this guy was pretty depressed. He probably drank a lot...
The Jackson Browne song reminds me of the same struggle that Bill Murry goes through in "Groundhog Day." That movie concluded that relationships and lookiing out for the best interest of others is what's most important. That's not too bad from a humanist point of view, though it still falls short. Ecclesiastes is another guy who struggled with the same quandry. I think he too drank and smoked. His dilemma is that life is so brief, a vapor! But he decides that whatever his hands find to do he's going to do it with all his might (give it his best shot). However, in the process he's going to eat and drink and and find enjoyment in his family and work and creation. I like what Ecclesiastes says near the end. Even though life often depresses him he's still able to say: "Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun" (11:7). Then a couple of verses later, "So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless." (NIV has a terrible translation with "meaningless"! It should read, "youth and vigor are brief"). In other words enjoy your youth (I'd say youth ends around 40-45). Your blog caused me to reflect. I'm going to remember the Pretender.
I forgot to put in my name to the comments above.
Nate,
He might be depressed, but I dont know. I want to think that he isnt, so thats how I am going to interpret the song.
Dad,
I thought that was you when I was reading the comment, thanks for the insights! I will continue to think about those things.
OK so I have about 20 more years of youth... thats great to hear!
I just wanted to comment on something the Great Dr. David Bland had commented on as well. Maybe I'll recieve some residual affect like the ability to see through walls or something...
Update:
I did not receive super powers of any sort. So far....
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