It's Good To Be King

Cat and I have been leaving the idiot box off more often lately and just turning the CD player on while we do things around the house, chill, whatever. I've been on a total 311 binge with the release of the knew CD, but a good measure of other music that we've listened to for seems to have been forever. Interesting how some CD's seem to occupy certain phases of my life, meaning one thing at one time, something else at another.

I've been listening to Tom Petty's WIldflowers CD on and off for the past two weeks. After years of lying dormant in a CD case, I'm remembering why I love that CD so much. In my opinion, Tom Petty may possibly be the greatest songwriter of our generation. A lot of his music speaks to me on a personal level, different songs having different meanings to me. I love the while CD, but some of the standouts have always been: Wildflowers (this song is a amazing), Time to Get Goin (Life song, has always meant something to me), Only a Broken Heart (sigh.... such a great song), To Find a Friend ( I don't know, but I have always loved this song), Crawling Back to You ( another great song), Wake Up Time ( epiphany song for me).

These are probably some of my favorite songs to reflect about things to, chill to, and listen to on a road trip. There is just something about his music that pulls me deeper into myself. I left one song out, one of my absolute favorite songs in the world. When I'm feeling down or even whimsical, I love to listen to it. It has the abilty to lift me up on a crappy day and even improve one that wasn't too shabby to start with. It reminds me that we all have places that we go in our heads. I'm a dreamer, so the song has a stong appeal to me.

It's Good to be King

Its good to be king, if just for a while
To be there in velvet, yeah, to give em a smile
Its good to get high, and never come down
Its good to be king of your own little town

Yeah the world would swing if I were king
Can I help it if I still dream time to time

Its good to be king and have your own way
Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day
And when your bulldog barks and your canary sings
Youre out there with winners, its good to be king

Yeah, Ill be king when dogs have wings
Can I help it if I still dream time to time

Its good to be king and have your own world
It helps to make friends, its good to meet girls
A sweet little queen, who cant run away
Its good to be king, whatever it pays

Excuse me if I have some place in my mind
Where I go time to time

Hit the water today in hopes of getting out of the house for a bit and catching some decent fish on the full moon. Fishing is what I did, bit catching was not really in the cards today. If I had hooked 1/4 of the fish I made contact with today, it would have been a spectacular Sunday. My timing was off, the fish were being funky, and I couldn't seem to keep them on the hook when I did poke one. It was like I couldn't quit get into that zone. The one where my sixth sense develops and I know a fish is gonna take the fly before I even see them. I just couldn't get there, everything seemed to be a struggle. Moving through the water, keeping droppers untangled, and staying out of the trees.

I spent a lot of the afternoon just enjoying being where I was, which is a good thing, seeing as the fish weren't co-operating. Earlier in life when having a day like today, I would become more focused and driven, trying to figure out what was going on and beating the hell out of the water, usually with negligible results. Today I just kinda ambled around some, casting now and then to likely spots, catching (missing) the occasional fish, but really soaking in my surroundings. The warm wind blowing downstream, enveloping me in the sticky smell of honey suckle blooming on the hill above me. Feeling the coolness of the water on my legs, while the sun beats down on my neck and fore arms, marveling at the beauty of a square tailed hawk as it silently glides through the forest canopy, majestic in all it's movements. Staring amazed at the whip like blooms of the galax waving in the wind like a fields of wheat.

Times like these make me contemplate life and all it's meanings and complexities. Our purpose and being, where we belong and what we do. I find a soothing simplicity to it all when I'm standing in the middle of stream, feeling it's power coursing around me. Strong enough to wear down rock, but yielding enough to give to my presence, if only for a fleeting moment. Streams are the places I go to to turn off, go into auto pilot. Sometimes they have the exact opposite effect, forcing me to recognize the unbelievable intricacy and purpose of life around me. Drawing me to find my purpose and place, my meaning for existence. Sometimes I feel like I'm looking at the answer, but I can't focus on it, like it's a note written in a language I don't understand. Painfully close, but still so far away. Far enough that it ceases to matter sometimes, for the very nearness of it makes me want to tear my hair out.

Every once in awhile, I get a clear glimpse of that answer. Never enough to see it in its entirety, but enough to re orientate myself back to true North. I sat for a bit, just watching the creek flow past me while gazing at a laurel bush in full bloom, contemplating, searching. I'd like to say that I found an answer while surrounded my so much inspiration and beauty, but it didn't come. Just that warm breeze, full of the sticky sweet smell of honey suckle.

Uplifter

After much wait and anticipation, my Deluxe copy of 311's new cd Uplifter, with 2 bonus tracks and a dvd, arrived at my doorstep yesterday afternoon. I have been listening to it nonstop in my waking hours. What an incredible piece of work, absolutely wonderful!

A little more relaxed than some of their previous cd's, I can still see this one turning into a fav! I had big fears that this would be Nick Hexum's wedding album, he just got married, and it is to some extent, but still.... timely for me. It seems I can always find a 311 song that fits my mood, feelings, whatever, this cd did not dissapoint. On my first run through, I liked 60% of the songs, which is a bit unusual. They're new music usually has to grow on me, not this time though! Some of the standouts for me are, Hey You, It's Alright, Never Ending Summer, Two Drops in the Ocean, My Heart Sings, and Get Down. If you go here, you can listen to the stream of the CD, if you've never listened to 311, listen to Get Down. Give it chance, you never know what might happen. This band LOVES their fans, their fans love them. Seeing them in concert is incredible. As a matter of fact, we just made our reservations in N.O. for 311 day next year! I can't wait!!!

So, I'm going to leave you with what might possibly the most meaningful 311 song to me. This song hit me like a ton of bricks when I heard it. Besides being a jammin tune, the lyrics blew me away.


"Get Down"

I got this great idea about why I got stuck in reverse
I was so out of control it just got worse
I hope you got more sense than I, side step the curse
I don't know which came first
In the spiral threatening me, my survival
It's come, time to get down

It's time to get down
Boots to the ground
Know we don't stop 'til they hear the bell sound
Keep your head up
Cause the truth just cut
No quick fix when I'm caught in a rut
What I got to do to get right size
Think I'm despised when I look through the eyes
Of another
Not mine to discover
What the next man think is none of my fucking business

And then I say what is this
Illusion I can't fix it
You name it, hey
The story stays the same
Any trouble you can name
Just goes straight into accepted
You name it, hey

It's time to get down
To the ground
So simple yet profound
In the now
Is why we're here
Inspiration
I've been waiting all my life
I'm set free, it's happened
I won't look back and think twice
It's how it's meant to be
Something's happened
A sudden slap in the right place
In my face, I thank you
You always came through for me
It's how it's meant to be

Gonna get down because I can't stay high
All of the time, cause I see the sign
So I re-align with an open mind
Adamant and circumvent
I get by every night and day
Get by with my comfort way
An Open space to an open way
I just unwind, I just unwind

And then I say what is this
Illusion I can't fix it
You name it, hey
The story stays the same
Any trouble you can name
Just goes straight into accepted
You name it, hey

It's time to get down
To the ground
So simple yet profound
In the now
Is why we're here

Inspiration
I've been waiting all my life
I'm set free, it's happened
I won't look back and think twice
It's how it's meant to be
Something's happened
A sudden slap in the right place
In my face, I thank you
You always came through for me
It's how it's meant to be