[Oe List ...] [Dialogue] REMEMBER WHEN THE MUSIC

[frank bremner]

Thank you, Nancy.  Harry Chapin has always been one of my favourite singer/songwriters.  And I remember the Saturday morning, Adelaide time, when the radio news announced his death - and announced a one-hour tribue hat was to come later that morning.  Including the song about the load of bananas coming into Scranton PA
 
I have been moved by the tributes to O:E/EI/ICA "old hands" that I met fleetingly back in 1978-80 but who have been part of the pantheon of colleagues.
 
Best wishes
 
Frank Bremner
 


Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:56:54 -0700
From: nancy at songaia.com
To: oe at wedgeblade.net
CC: dialogue at wedgeblade.net
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] [Dialogue] REMEMBER WHEN THE MUSIC

Dear Ones, 

I have a story about one of the more famous pieces of Harry Chapin's music.  As you may know, our son Bruce and his family lived a long distance away from us for many years - 21 Years?  Early on, I often said to Bruce and Nancy that we would love to have them live closer, it may have come across even stronger than that.

One day we received a letter from Bruce following their participation in a concert of Chapin's.  He shared the words of the song, Cat's in the Cradle.  I was brokenhearted at the moment of reading the words.  Of course he was right.  Back in the 60's, Fred and I chose to "save the world" , join the Order and to leave our children behind - on their behalf, of course!  Bruce asked us to please understand that he and Nancy had their work to do and their choices to make.  He asked us to understand that they needed at least 5-10 years of career building before they could consider moving out of that medical circle of which they were a part.  

You all know that when Fred was diagnosed with ALS, Bruce and Nancy both received offers to change their work location.  One of their choices was Vancouver, BC in Canada.  They moved to Vancouver 2  1/2 years ago and joined our other son, Bob and daughter Sandra in caring for us during the very time we needed them most.  

With love, 

Nancy




2010/10/20 Janice Ulangca <aulangca at stny.rr.com>



Len Hockley, this is so wonderful!  Thank you, thank you!!  
 
This community is profoundly priviledged because we have lived the experiences in Harry Chapin's words.  But it's not just about the past.  I love these words from the next to last verse:  

 
        And I dream that something’s coming 
        And it is not just in the wind. 
        It’s more than just tomorrow. 
        It’s more than where we’ve been. 
        It offered me a promise 
        It’s telling me--Begin.  
 
Friends, do listen to both these versions.  What contemporary news clippings would you put up to illustrate Harry Chapin's singing?
 


(you can hear this sung by Harry Chapin at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJhQrZuXheg&NR=1 
or by Bruce Springsteen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEvimXwEGgs&feature=related) 



 
Then - do you want to sing along with Harry?  If you do, as I did, here are the words arranged close to how he sings the lines.  Janice Ulangca
 


Remember When The Music
by Harry Chapin
Remember when the music 



Came from wooden boxes strung with silver wire. 
And as we sang the words 
It would set our minds on fire. 
We believed in things, 
And so we’d sing 
 
Remember when the music 
Brought us all together 
To stand inside the rain, 
And as we joined our hands 
We’d meet in the refrain. 
We had dreams to live, 
And we had hopes to give 
 
Don’t you remember when the music 
Was the best of what we dreamed of  
For our children’s time, 
And as we sang we worked 
For we knew time was just a lie. 
A gift we say. 
A gift the future gave
 
Of all the times I listened, 
And all the times I heard. 
All the melodies are missing 
And all the magic words 
And all those potent voices 
And all the choices we had then. 
How I’d love to find 
We had that kind of choice again 
 
Remember when the music 
Was a glow on the horizon 
Of every newborn day, 
And as we sang the sun came up 
To chase the dark away. 
And life was good 
For we knew we could 
 
 Remember when the music 
Brought the night across the valley. 
As the day went down 
And as we’d hum the melody 
We’d be safe inside the sound 
And so we’d sleep 
For we had dreams to keep 
 
And I dream that something’s coming 
And it is not just in the wind. 
It’s more than just tomorrow. 
It’s more than where we’ve been. 
It offered me a promise 
It’s telling me--Begin.  
I know it’s that even something’s worth believing in 
 
Remember when the music 
Came from wooden boxes strung with silver wire 
And as we sang the words 
It would set our minds on fire 
We believed in things 
And so we’d sing 
And so we’d sing. 
 
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