Have you ever missed out on something really good?
I have. Plenty of times. But this is clearly, one very special case.
I wonder...
How could it have happened? What else was so danged important in 1993? Where was I? What was I doing?What other mistakes was I mistaking at the time?
Almost two decades have passed. Why didn't I hear it somewhere, at a friend's house, on the radio, somewhere?
It's only a song.
Only a song, you say.
No. It's more than that. It's my song.
No, I didn't write it.
Iris DeMent did.
I wish I had written it. It speaks to me, for me. It speaks my mind. It's my song.
It's a song that reflects part of my (work in progress) soul.
A song that simply, eloquently nails the point -- the one I've been trying to make or discover for nearly 50 years.
A song that now I've heard, tonight, for the first time, I won't ever forget.
Don't say, "better late than never."
I really don't want to hear that.
Not right now.
I'd much rather hear the song again. It's "Let the Mystery Be" by Iris DeMent.
And then I may dance. Because the meaning makes me happy.
And there's that sawing fiddle, that slapping bass, that galloping guitar, and Iris' lilting voice.
Let the Mystery Be by Iris DeMent
(Lyrics copied from Cowboy Lyrics site)
Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from.
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done.
But no one knows for certain and so it's all the same to me.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.
Some say once you're gone you're gone forever, and some say you're gonna come back.
Some say you rest in the arms of the Saviour if in sinful ways you lack.
Some say that they're comin' back in a garden, bunch of carrots and little sweet peas.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.
Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from.
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done.
But no one knows for certain and so it's all the same to me.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.
Instrumental break.
Some say they're goin' to a place called Glory and I ain't saying it ain't a fact.
But I've heard that I'm on the road to purgatory and I don't like the sound of that.
Well, I believe in love and I live my life accordingly.
But I choose to let the mystery be.
Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from.
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done.
But no one knows for certain and so it's all the same to me.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.
Good song! Reminds me of an old fellow who used to dig graves for us. One day as he was tamping down the last shovel full of dirt, he looked at me and said "In the end, it all just don't matter." I never forgot what he said. In a way your song, "let The Mystery Be" is along those lines.
ReplyDeleteEd, the old gravedigger was right on the mark. Hope you're enjoying this sunshine up on the Ridge today.
DeleteThis could be my song, too.
ReplyDeleteAs for missin' thangs... I don't believe a day goes by where I don't hear someone new-to-me, especially now that Pandora is on my personal radar. And then I google 'em and find out they've been there for quite a while (in most cases) and I ask myself the very same question: why haven't I heard this before?
SO much music, so little time. Makes me wonder how Pandora keeps up. They must have a huge staff... or sumthin'.
"As for missing thangs"
DeleteAmen! Everyday!
I haven't gotten into Pandora so much for some reason. I can tell from reading your posts that you like it a lot and that it makes a tremendous amount of music available.
As to how Pandora keep up with all the music, I can't begin to guess. Unless maybe that old Greek god Apollo (he had expertise in music and poetry among other stuff) finally got hired again. :-)