Winter Songs
I have been so engrossed in inspiring others into regaining their belief in Hope through my literary works when I am the one who desperately needs it. So, to remind myself of the invincibility I found in me during the last Winter, of 2003, I'm hereby sharing the Introduction to Chapter Three: Winter Songs of the first volume of my book Four Seasons in Canada (Poems and Letters, 2003–2004).
Winter Songs
My whole life I regard not only a fantasy-fiction novel, which has its own maps, worlds, characters and creatures, history, languages and cultures; but more so an epic movie, which runs on a backdrop of diverse landscapes and has a soundtrack of its own.
Since childhood, my life has already been musical; I can still remember vividly the songs that constantly played on the phonograph in my family’s first home—I still listen to them to this day, with fondness and with yearning to return to the particular moment each song is able to conjure. Bittersweet memories that keep the child in me alive and forever curious about the world. It’s like plucking golden leafs from the lush tree of my childhood, picking fruits that have long been ripe.
And, yeah! we had a jukebox at the restaurant which we used to own in the early Seventies—that wonderful machine that transformed many a tot’s night into magical moments. I remember the days when I would insert one coin after another into that machine, press the combination of letters and numbers, and listen in bliss as the songs played one by one. This is the main reason music has always been a part of me, from my childhood through my youth to who I have become.
[On the following pages are some of the songs that will always remind me of the sadness and solitariness I felt on many days and nights during my first Winter in Canada. They were my lullabies on many sleepless nights.]
New Wave—the music I love. The soundtrack of my life. Songs that shall grace my wedding day, and shalt one day be played on my wake.
And, in case I haven’t mentioned yet, my father said he got my name from a song. Yes, that Burt Bacharach song which, I believe, perfectly describes the path I’ve long chosen to take. But, being a lover of New Wave music, I prefer listening to the version of the song rendered by Tracy Thorn and Ben Watt, the duo otherwise known as Everything But the Girl.
Alfie (Burt Bacharach)
by Everything But the Girl
(Under the Covers; 1988, WEA)
What's it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What's it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give
Or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are gone, Alfie,
then I guess it is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie,
What will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there's a heaven above, Alfie
I know there's something much more
Something even nonbelievers can believe in
I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love we just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you've missed
You're nothing, Alfie
When you walk let your heart lead the way
And you'll find love any day, Alfie
Alfie
Winter Songs
My whole life I regard not only a fantasy-fiction novel, which has its own maps, worlds, characters and creatures, history, languages and cultures; but more so an epic movie, which runs on a backdrop of diverse landscapes and has a soundtrack of its own.
Since childhood, my life has already been musical; I can still remember vividly the songs that constantly played on the phonograph in my family’s first home—I still listen to them to this day, with fondness and with yearning to return to the particular moment each song is able to conjure. Bittersweet memories that keep the child in me alive and forever curious about the world. It’s like plucking golden leafs from the lush tree of my childhood, picking fruits that have long been ripe.
And, yeah! we had a jukebox at the restaurant which we used to own in the early Seventies—that wonderful machine that transformed many a tot’s night into magical moments. I remember the days when I would insert one coin after another into that machine, press the combination of letters and numbers, and listen in bliss as the songs played one by one. This is the main reason music has always been a part of me, from my childhood through my youth to who I have become.
[On the following pages are some of the songs that will always remind me of the sadness and solitariness I felt on many days and nights during my first Winter in Canada. They were my lullabies on many sleepless nights.]
New Wave—the music I love. The soundtrack of my life. Songs that shall grace my wedding day, and shalt one day be played on my wake.
And, in case I haven’t mentioned yet, my father said he got my name from a song. Yes, that Burt Bacharach song which, I believe, perfectly describes the path I’ve long chosen to take. But, being a lover of New Wave music, I prefer listening to the version of the song rendered by Tracy Thorn and Ben Watt, the duo otherwise known as Everything But the Girl.
Alfie (Burt Bacharach)
by Everything But the Girl
(Under the Covers; 1988, WEA)
What's it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What's it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give
Or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are gone, Alfie,
then I guess it is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie,
What will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there's a heaven above, Alfie
I know there's something much more
Something even nonbelievers can believe in
I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love we just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you've missed
You're nothing, Alfie
When you walk let your heart lead the way
And you'll find love any day, Alfie
Alfie
posted by eLf ideas @ 5:19:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home