Three Elegies in Sound

These songs were recorded tonight from 3:30 am to 6:15 am.

take to the wind (for samuel beckett)

all my life
crawl to the wind, standing
try to embrace the gods i thought created
all my life i prayed to a god and watched it
take my friends away one by one
all my life pray to the wind the wind will take you
pray to stars the stars won't take you
but they will guide you away
spray towards the wind betray the wind
all my life the crypt was closed on the verge
on the verge of
all my life
take away take away
suffering
all my life all my life
(breath rhythm)
take to the wind
and maybe the wind will guide me

(Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish dramatist, novelist and poet.
Beckett's work is stark, fundamentally minimalist, and, according to some interpretations, deeply pessimistic about the human condition. His work grew increasingly cryptic and attenuated over his career. - from wikipedia.org)

always tired (for betty harris)

why is my heart so empty all the time?
why do i dream all of the different times
i had something bothering me?
why is it so easy to sleep all the time?
why do i dream so much i cry?
i need to know
how did you know my name?
how did you know my name?

(Betty Harris is not dead. This is a elegy for her recordings... "In 1963, her searing ballad "Cry To Me" hit #10 on the Billboard R&B chart and #23 pop. Though it was Betty's only major hit, she made a number of other fine soul recordings throughout the '60s. By the decade's end, however, Betty Harris decided she'd had enough of the music business and left it to lead a more conventional life.

Thirty-five years later, though, Sister Betty has re-emerged on the music scene. One of the first things she did in that regard was to e-mail me in mid-2004 upon discovering this website. Betty advised me that she now lived in my hometown of Hartford, CT. Stunned, I invited her to appear on The Soul Express, which she did on June 19, 2004.

Sept. 6, 2006: Betty and her family have relocated to Atlanta. She gave her Northeast farewell concert at Johnny D's in Somerville, MA, on Friday night, June 23rd." - (courtesy of http://www.soulexpressradio.com/BettyHarris.htm) Note: I occasionally see her at Thumbs Up, a diner I frequent with Lockett)

puppy in the window (for bo diddley)

i found my knife on the bedside table where i left it
took a look around the rotted times
dreaming of a girl who can heal these wounds
she says she's got my kid
dreaming of a way i can take that kid
i told the girl to wait and meet me downtown
looking at the windows of the golden shops
i look and i see puppy in the window..
how much is that puppy in the window?
is this puppy for sale?
i have a feeling i will make it mine..
feel my knife in my pocket.

(Bo Diddley is not dead either. This is an elegy instead for a puppy that was bought by him on a whim in 1968, he named the puppy "Saxaphone" and it lived three years before being destroyed by light. About old Bo.... "Bo Diddley (born December 30, 1928) aka "The Originator" of Rock 'N' Roll, is an influential American rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is often cited as the key figure in the transition of blues into rock and roll, by introducing more insistent, driving rhythms and a hard edged guitar sound. He is also remembered for his characteristic rectangular-shaped guitar." - from wikipedia.org