Monday Music - Heart of Hearts

To celebrate their 20th anniversary last year (2012), Newfoundland's legendary fok/rock band, Great Big Sea, released this new song "Heart of Hearts".

This is the accompanying video featuring the b'ys interacting with clips from GBS videos from over the years.

For your Monday Music, Great Big Sea: Heart of Hearts.  Enjoy!

Heart of Hearts

I drove a million miles with you,
I broke a million smiles with you;
I told a million lies with you,
What else could I do?

We answered every siren's call,
We watched the stars collide and fall;
Stood back to back against the wall,
We ran before we crawled.

All together now until the end,
When this story's over a new one begins;
In my heart of hearts,
There's a special place,
For every man who shook my hand,
And every girl who kissed my face;
In my heart of hearts there hides no shame,
In my heart of hearts I'd do it all again.

You always said you were the lucky one,
You always said the night had just begun;
We always stayed up till the morning sun,
And whistled something to the dawn.

All together now until the end,
When this story's over a new one begins;
And in my heart of hearts,
There's a special place,
For every man who shook my hand,
And every girl who kissed my face;
In my heart of hearts there hides no shame,
In my heart of hearts I'd do it all again.

Never had a destination or a protocol in mind,
Never had a chart to guide us down the tide;
Never had no money, but I always had the time,
To finish all your lines.

So far behind us, so far to go,
A melody reminds us what we've always known:
Time will never find us in the secrets of the show,
Up or down the road, so on we go.

All together now until the end,
When this story's over a new one begins;
And in my heart of hearts,
There's a special place,
For every man who shook my hand,
And every girl who kissed my face;
In my heart of hearts there hides no shame,
In my heart of hearts I'd do it all again.
In my heart of hearts I'd do it all again.
In my heart of hearts I'd do it all again.

It's Cloud Illusions All The Time

Both Sides Now

Rows and flows of angel hair
and ice cream castles in the air
and feather canyons everywhere,
I've looked at cloud that way
but now they only block the sun,
they rain and snow on everyone
so many things I would have done
but clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
from up and down, and still somehow
it's cloud illusions I recall,
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and ferris wheels,
the dizzy dancing way you feel
as every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way
but now it's just another show,
you leave 'em laughing when you go
and if you care, don't let them know,
don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now,
from give and take, and still somehow
it's love's illusions I recall,
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
to say "I love you" right out loud,
dreams and schemes and circus crowds,
I've looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange,
they shake their heads, they say I've changed
well, something's lost but something's gained
in living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now,
from win and lose, and still somehow
it's life's illusions I recall,
I really don't know life at all.

- Joni Mitchell

(In loving memory: MTG October 16, 1933 - June 6, 2009)

Welcome, Little One!

Today is the two week birthday of a very precious baby. In honor of the new arrival, I'd like to share the song linked below. Tim Baker's incomparable lyrics capture the feelings that so many of us "elders" experience as we welcome a new generation into this beautiful, exhilarating, terrifying, wonderful world that we all share.

From everyone in the NiftyUniverse:

Welcome to the world, little one!

Welcome   -lyrics, Tim Baker

You'll be a bright light coming out of the dark
All the doctors blinking hard
You'll be lightning coming out of the storm
Like a message, like a miracle

You will do all right
You've got your mother's eyes
You've got your daddy's head
Everything you need

For this hard ride
They'll be strapping you on
All the ups and downs and you can't get off
Yes, trouble we're handing off
And you've got to do better than us

It'll be all right
You've got lots of time
You've got your daddy's love
Everything you want

I can feel you and what you're gonna be
You'll be stronger, you'll be smarter than me
Oh baby, I'll say it again
You're the most incredible thing

I'm sorry, this is it
It's cold and hard and badly lit
And there's no backing out of it
So forget where you've been
It'll never be that good again
And we must only look ahead
Soon you're 33
And everything you tried to be
Is pulled apart by fear and greed

So do I welcome you to it?
Sing let the goddamn games begin
'Cause the god that gives deliverance
Has this thing for disappearing, kid

When they're fighting on the beaches' heads
The five am to Winnipeg
The nights of fights and poison pits
The needle edge of old regret
But the wind will always shift again
And the breath beneath your epaulettes
Is strength enough to carry this.

Let young hands build you up
Carve your face in honest rock
With sunlight on your noble jaw
May young hands build you up
I'm happy that you've come along
I'm happy that you've come, I'm happy that you've come

Oh baby, I'll say it again
I'll say it again, I'll say it
You're the most incredible thing
             ----------------

There is a rough live version of the song performed by its creators, Hey Rosetta! here. It has an honesty and humanity - literally a circle of friends sharing the welcome - that I really wanted to express in my personal welcome to our sweet new baby.

The live version below is sublime (you will want it for your Ipod, I swear). Turn up the volume, take it to full screen and enjoy.

via Hey Rosetta!

Tuesday Tonic - Bandages

I've posted this song before. It's a great song, and now here it is again with a wonderful and very original video.

I had to ask myself - should this be a Monday Music or a Tuesday Tonic?  It is both music and a tonic, but since the song has already been featured on Monday Music, here it is today as your Tuesday Tonic.

Give yourself a gift - take 6 minutes out of your day, click on the video and watch it full screen with the sound turned right up. It is visual and auditory food for the spirit. It starts out pensive but finishes with an exuberantly life-affirming party!


Bandages

It will come around
but everything is now
I know everything is right now

And the loneliness is a lot
the nothing weighs a ton
I mean the nothing weighs a fucking ton

That half of the bed
empty like a page
all the cursive claims you've yet to make

All the promising lines
bending like her spine
oh the whiteness that your pen could write

If you get these bandages off
you can stand, you can walk
leave these towels and gauze
you'll get up, you'll get out
into the sun

That's where we belong
we've been abed too long
all our weaknesses are growing strong

But the winter always ends
with water on your lips
the april rain comes swinging in

Get these bandages off
let me stand, let me walk
leave these towels and gauze
let me up, let me out
into the sun

Cause come she will
Oh come she will

She comes oh
she comes son
she comes...

- Tim Baker

Monday Music - In The Hall of the Mountain King

For your Monday Music - something to get your blood pumping!

Berliner Philamoniker performs Edvard Grieg's In The Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt Suite).

Turn up the sound and enjoy a sublime 2 1/2 minutes!