Hurdy Gurdy Man

This is probably my favorite song from the sixties. It has that Indian, Eastern influence which gives it a psychedelic, trippy sound.

For years I never knew the definition of a Hurdy Gurdy man, but I sang along anyway. It was obviously a song about love and peace - the dominate theme of the sixties - and I was content imagining that the Hurdy Gurdy man was some Ghandi-like hippie who went around making everyone feel loved or sat around a campfire at night and passed around a pipe. Oh, and he sang songs of love.

Apparently, a hurdy gurdy is a musical instrument. From Wiki: The hurdy gurdy or hurdy-gurdy (also known as a wheel fiddle) is a stringed musical instrument in which the strings are sounded by means of a rosined wheel which the strings of the instrument pass over. This wheel, turned with a crank, functions much like a violin bow, making the instrument essentially a mechanical violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents (small wedges, usually made of wood) against one or more of these strings to change their pitch. Like most other acoustic string instruments, it has a soundboard to make the vibration of the strings audible.

Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
I'm opening my eyes to take a peep
To find that I was by the sea
Gazing with tranquility

'Twas then when the hurdy gurdy man
Came singing songs of love
Then when the hurdy gurdy man
Came singing songs of love

Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang

Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity

'Tis then when the hurdy gurdy man
Comes singing songs of love
Then when the hurdy gurdy man
Comes singing songs of love

Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy hurdy gurd
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang

Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Here comes the roly-poly man
He's singing songs of love
Roly poly, roly poly, roly poly poly he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Roly poly, roly poly, roly poly poly he sang

Close Call

Last night I was taking the last flight out of Baton Rouge with my youngest son, Michael, who was happily listening to music on his Shuffle. Halfway through the journey our "crop duster", aka American Eagle plane, took a sharp dive and started rocking from side to side. Michael's drink, as well as many others, flew up in the air and the sticky contents landed all over him and on my hand. Being drenched with Pepsi was the least of our concerns. Our hands became intertwined tightly, somewhat convinced we were going to plunge to the hard earth. It was like a roller coaster ride that seemed to last forever, when in actuality it only lasted maybe a minute or two. I was consumed with fear, hoping we would make it out alive.

Of course, we did make it through as evidenced by this post, but it made me think more about how fragile life is and how we take one another for granted, as though we'll always be able to see each other whenever we want, when nothing could be further from the truth.

I always thought that in this type of situation the first thing I would do is start praying to God. But I did nothing of the sort. Fear had truly consumed me and I am ashamed that I did not turn to the God I have leaned on and trusted my whole entire life. I think I need to reevaluate my relationship with Him.

After it was over Michael said, "I thought I was going to die listening to Lil Wayne. I mean he's from New Orleans and everything which is cool, but I wanted to go out listening to somebody of significance...like Jimi."