The beauty of today got me all poetical (evidenced from yesterday's post) - just such a sublime winter day. No wind, blue skies. Our deck faces north, so the winter sun totally streams all over it like treacle. We've moved a day bed round the front and have two seats depending on where the sun is. After a surf and tidying the house, I spend the afternoon on the deck stretching and sleeping and listening to music and the birds.
I find it hard to listen to Dad's kinda music because it makes me miss him more. But today a song came up on one of my playlists and I was reminded of Dad playing her years back - her album Reckless Skyline from 2015 is in his CD rack from memory.
Caitlin Canty is an American singer-songwriter known for her evocative blend of folk, blues, and country ballads. Raised in small-town Vermont, she began her musical journey after receiving a guitar at age 17, eventually earning a biology degree before pursuing music full-time. Her critically acclaimed albums, including Reckless Skyline (2015), Motel Bouquet (2018), and Quiet Flame (2023), showcase her "casually devastating" alto voice and lyrical depth. Canty's collaborations with artists like Sarah Jarosz and her duo project Down Like Silver with Peter Bradley Adams highlight her versatility. Her song "Get Up" was nominated for Song of the Year at the Folk Alliance International Music Awards, and her music has been featured in series like House of Cards. Currently residing in Vermont with her family, Canty continues to captivate audiences with her authentic storytelling and soulful melodies.** - Thanks Chat GPT
This one I played more than once, immediately falling it love with it. I had all the doors and windows open to air out the house and the music was on the the stereo, and with my eyes closed I could imagine Dad right there. It was reminscent of all that time I'd spend at his house listening to music, whether I liked it or not. Honestly it felt so real and true and comforting - perhaps this is what they mean that they're always with you.
Blue Sky Moon
Blue sky moon on the rise
Stubborn light in a fading sky
Easy wind blowing
Caked in clay at the water line
Dusty branches hanging high
Riverbanks are glowing
Standing still in the river wide
Heavy current rushing by
I don’t follow where it’s going
Between two lines
In the middle of the road
Can’t pass me by
In the middle of the road
Gonna take my time
In the middle of the road
Rock in my tire keeping time
With the strobing light between the pines
My heartbeat finds the rhythm
Breakneck boy goes speeding by
In a hellbent race to some finish line
I ain’t going with him
Between two lines
In the middle of the road
Can’t pass me by
In the middle of the road
Gonna take my time
In the middle of the road
Standing still in the river wide
Blue sky moon on the rise
Stubborn light in a fading sky
It's funny as I would never have chosen to listen to this music purposefully when Dad was alive. Now that he's gone I find myself gravitating to it. It's a way of keeping him close. I figure if I play it loud enough he will hear it wherever he is and be tapping his foot. I can just see him all lost in the tune and hitting play again and again on the same song he'd fallen in love with, just like I'm doing now.
There's a fucking sadness to it in the joy, like it's both knotted together and you can't ever extricate one from the other. But you keep singing anyway at the top of your lungs til the tears are streaming down your face with joy. Becaues fuck it right, ya gotta feel something.
Lost in the Valley
Lost in the valley, I was lost in the valley
Lost in the valley, so I climbed up a mountain
Climbed up a mountain, oh, I climbed up a mountain
Climbed up a mountain to get lost in the sky
Tell me when I can start again
I'll get it right this time
Send me where the sunlight bends
I'll find it by and by
Lost on the mountain, I was lost on the mountain
Lost on the mountain 'til I saw how the crow flies
Saw how the crow flies, oh, I saw how the crow flies
Saw how a crow flies and I took to the sky
Free when I'm flying, oh, I'm free when I'm flying
Free when I'm flying 'til I saw the horizon
Saw the horizon, how I wanted that horizon
Saw the horizon, so I made for that line
Lost in the valley, I was lost in the valley
Climbed up a mountain, oh, I climbed up a mountain
Free when I'm flying, oh, I'm free when I'm flying
Saw that horizon, how I wanted that horizon
This one brings it down a little - probably not as infectious as the other two but you'll get it if you were or are a Neil Young fan. Such a good version. I reckon some covers of his stuff are better than the original.
What are you listening to?
With Love,
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