Quotation Wednesday

YES! I finally remembered to post this on an actual Wednesday. I'm probably far more proud of myself than I should be.

It's becoming tradition for me to initiate these posts by quoting Overheard Everywhere. Often, I rebel against tradition. Today, however, that is not the case.

Spring Break in South Beach, for Instance
Man #1: What's that bruise on your forehead from?
Man #2: Watch out for someone in diapers carrying a mallet.
Man #1: I've found that to be sage advice in multiple situations...

Wausau, Wisconsin

via Overheard Everywhere, Dec 12, 2007

And today, we'll focus on song lyrics for no reason other than the fact that I'm currently singing along with Tori Amos.

"Does G-d read the liner notes? Does G-d watch the award shows? Or is everybody just wasting their breath on energy that is better spent?"--Some Girls, Rock or Pop


"And we'll blow away forever soon
And go on to different lands
And please do not ever look for me
But with me you will stay
And you will hear yourself in song
Blowing by one day"--Suzanne Vega, Gypsy (my favorite song of all time)


"Can't forget the things you never said."-Tori Amos, Blood Roses

"No one's picking up the phone.
Guess it's clear,
he's gone....
Sometimes I breathe you in
and I know you know.
And sometimes you take a swim.
Found your writing on my wall
If my heart's soaking wet
Boy your boots can leave a mess!"-Tori Amos, Hey Jupiter

This one always makes me think of dh and deployments. Think about it--the opening portion about him being gone, the breathing him in and especially the portion about boots.


And while I'm on the topic of songs that remind me of deployments:

"How swiftly we choose it,
the sacred simplicity
of you at my side." -Vienna Teng Eric's Song
That one's a truly gorgeous song. It's one of my favorites. I found a good deal of solace in it during dh's last deployment.

Irim recently posted about music with meaning. She got me thinking. 10,000 Maniacs is one of my very favorite bands (the traditional line-up). Their lyrics were so full of a wide range of harsh commentary set to such hypnotizing music and Natalie Merchant's gorgeous voice. Neither Natalie nor the Maniacs ever created anything individually that was nearly as stunning as what they created together. And let me tell you, their music is endlessly useful in high school. While my friends were trying to memorize the order of living things, I simply had to remember that Natalie switched class and order in her song about the poor Katrina and her struggles with multiple personality disorder.

There are lots of songs that drip with social/political commentary, but I'll quote one of my favorites. This is far from a condemnation of nuclear war, but it's a gorgeous song and one that always reminds me of the hope chest my grandmother left behind. In light of my recent loss, it makes me think of my cousin as well.


"A thought mistaken
for a memory
Clear the dust from
smiles in boxes.
Pass a patterned wall.
Recall their voices." -10,000 Maniacs, Tension Makes a Tangle