Big Rock Candy Mountain

One evening as the sun went down and the jungle fire was burning
Down the track came a hobo hiking and he said boys I'm not turning
I'm headin' for a land that's far away beside the crystal fountains
So come with me we'll go and see the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains there's a land that's fair and bright
Where the handouts grow on bushes and you sleep out every night
Where the boxcars are all empty and the sun shines every day
On the birds and the bees and the cigarette trees
Where the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains all the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth and the hens lay soft boiled eggs
The farmer's trees are full of fruit and the barns are full of hay
Oh, I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall and the wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains you never change your socks
And the little streams of alcohol come a-trickling down the rocks
The brakemen have to tip their hats and the railroad bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew and of whiskey too
You can paddle all around 'em in a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains the jails are made of tin
And you can walk right out again as soon as you are in
There ain't no short handled shovels, no axes saws or picks
I'm a goin' to stay where you sleep all day
Where they hung the jerk that invented work
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

I'll see you all this coming fall in the Big Rock Candy Mountains

Version: Harry McClintock

I love these lyrics. They may embody an approach to life that's unhelpful and idealises so much of what we put to shame; a lack of work ethic, alcohol, theft, etc. They may also make light of the plight of the homeless. Still, they resonate with me today, when the light here's fading...

Just look out my window!



It doesn't look so bad, does it?

Well, let's have a better look, shall we? I spent the morning checking over a group member's essay. Each sentence needed revising. The English was poor, the message was unclear, the references were irrelevant.

I the started reviewing a lecture. After studying and copying and paraphrasing, my ring finger became swollen. I figured my head and my heart needed a break. I left for the record store.

After picking up a copy of There Will Be a Light by Ben Harper & The Blind Boys Of Alabama and also the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?, I figured if anything was gonna sooth my turbulent soul, it would be these fine recordings.

I returned to lunch. It was unavoidably... unhealthy. My spirit and my body felt tarnished.

I proceeded to check my emails. A spark from my beloved sent be spiralling. She objected to a pet name I use for her. It wasn't much. It even contained a clause saying that she was in a bad mood. Still, it set me on a dark path, one I've already traversed for the past few days.

There are nearly three hundred people around me. Many care for my well being, many smile and ask after my latest news.

Yet, I feel like humanity isn't making contact at the moment. I feel like there's some place I should be, a beautiful set of procedures that result in a situation that holds my shape better. Some algorithm would make sure I was there. The place wouldn't be easier to live in. It might be a lot harder. I just wouldn't leave a small trail of rubble everywhere I walked.

That was where my mind was...

Now, look where I was... Or where I am...




The sunlight was trying to penetrate my space, but all I could see was the synthetic light. It was unsatisfying. It still is. There's darkness at the edges, which are too hard to look beyond.

Thinking of yesterday makes me smile. I made a visit to a gallery with my sister. It was fantastic. It had strange creations made of cut-outs from National Geographic and all sorts of strange things inhabited the art space.

Also, I did enjoy the outstretched arms of this parking guide painted on the road.



Rapidly, I'm thawing. Mostly thanks to Vampire Weekend.

I hope someone comes to see me, soon. Just a short visit. I have too much work to do.

TheSovietChairman

P.S. I'm feeling better. I'll be fine, I reckon.

P.P.S. Blogging is so horrendously egotistical. Why would anyone want to read this? I don't know.