“Verse by verse, dissect a favorite song you had in 7th grade”

What is it with memories from 7th grade lately, Mama Kat? (Sort of fun though, honestly!)

In 7th grade (1983?) my cool cousin, Ginna, sent me my first “real” cassette tapes (those are things that held music for you young folk-like a cd sort of.) Before this I listened to my mom’s records (big cd things) or to my Disney tapes.

They were R.E.M.’s “Murmur”

and

They were bands that didn’t play on Spanish MTV at the time and I’d never heard of them.
I was taken.
Michael Stipe and Bono would adorn my walls for years to come.

It’s hard to pick a favorite song. I love poetry and both of these totally fed into the brooding teenage 13 yr old psyche. I almost wore the R.E.M. cassette out I played it so much. The tunes are great and perfect for dancing alone to. I looked up the lyrics to the Murmur album because, honestly, you can’t understand most of the words Michael Stipe was singing. I thought they were deep and political at the time (for some reason) but upon looking at them now I see I really still have no clue what they mean.

Here’s one for you:

U2’s “A Sort of Homecoming”

And you know it’s time to go
Through the sleet and driving snow
Across the fields of mourning
Light in the distance
And you hunger for the time
Time to heal, desire, time
And your earth moves beneath
Your own dream landscape

Oh, oh, oh…
On borderland we run…

I’ll be there
I’ll be there…
Tonight
A high road
A high road out from here

The city walls are all pulled down
The dust, a smoke screen all around
See faces ploughed like fields that once
Gave no resistance

And we live by the side of the road
On the side of a hill
As the valley explode
Dislocated, suffocated
The land grows weary of its own

Oh, oh, oh…on borderland we run…
And still we run
We run and don’t look back
I’ll be there
I’ll be there
Tonight
Tonight

I’ll be there tonight…I believe
I’ll be there…somehow
I’ll be there…tonight
Tonight

The wind will crack in winter time
This bomb-blast lightning waltz
No spoken words, just a scream…

Tonight we’ll build a bridge
Across the sea and land
See the sky, the burning rain
She will die and live again
Tonight

And your heart beats so slow
Through the rain and fallen snow
Across the fields of mourning
Light’s in the distance

Oh don’t sorrow, no don’t weep
For tonight, at last
I am coming home
I am coming home

*Okay, so I didn’t really dissect this. I imagined then (and still do) that it was about the Irish resistance and the troubles that were going on in Ireland then. I see a young, Irish teenager coming home to see his girlfriend from wherever he was hiding/fighting.

Now it’s your turn!

If you choose to accept Mama Kat‘s assignment the prompts are:

1.) Verse by verse, dissect a favorite song you had in 7th grade.

2.) List 5 must have gifts you are purchasing for a loved one this Christmas.

3.) Open letter to Santa Claus.

4.) Describe how you would celebrate the holidays if it was totally up to you and money was not a factor.

5.) Book review time! What winter read has you snuggled in and turning pages?