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Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel.

Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel.

Lyrics and Vocals: American singer-songwriter, the late John Townes Van Zandt, (1944-1997).

The lyrics of a song can be sometimes difficult to interpret, and never more so than the lyrics of the song “Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel”.
Personally, I believe “Miss Carousal” represents uncontrolled substance abuse and the author, Townes Van Zandt, is personifying his relationship with her. During much of Van Zandt’s own personal life he suffered from drug addiction and alcoholism. His singing tours saw him performing at various recognised disreputable public houses; while residing in cheap motel rooms, or, as in the 1970’s living in a simple shack, devoid of electricity or a telephone.
The lyrics indicate that he possibly wants to quit his addiction, but he keeps being pulled back, making it seem like same addiction needs him. He possibly hopes for the day, sometime in the future, when he can fully control his addiction and not be totally at its mercy. Lines in his lyrics, appears to indicate this “You own his legs but his mind is free. Only you can tell, Miss Carousel, How long will he be crawling?”

Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel.

Well the drunken clown’s still hanging round,
But it’s plain the laughter’s all died down.
The tears you tried so hard to hide are flowin’.
A blind man with his knife in hand,
Has convinced himself that he understands,
I wish him well, Miss Carousel,
But I gotta be a-goin’.

Chorus.
Won’t you come and get me when,
You’re sure that you don’t need me then.
I stand outside your window,
And proudly call your name.


Well the ladies been told that all the gold,
Is worth so much it can’t be sold,
No time to weep she’ll need her sleep tomorrow.
When she carries her face to the market place,
And bets it on the opening race,
She can ring her bells, Miss Carousel,
But her singing brings me sorrow.

Repeat Chorus.

Well it’s always done every mother’s son,
Is shown that grown men never run,
And so they fight with all the might inside them.
When the battle’s been fought and they all been taught,
That the trick is just not being caught,
Will you give them hell, Miss Carousel,
When they’re begging you to hide them.

Repeat Chorus.

When the need arose your eyes fell closed,
You clamped your fingers round your nose,
Would you say that’s any way to judge him.
Well you haven’t got the authority,
To kill him in the first degree,
But would you feel compelled, Miss Carousel,
If you have something to begrudge him.

On a velvet beach far beneath the reach,
Of those that come to pry and preach,
The natural man who tries to stand is fallin.
How long will it be before he sees,
You own his legs but his mind is free.
Only you can tell, Miss Carousel,
How long will he be crawling?

Repeat Chorus.

The castle walls has grown so tall,
Seem there ain’t no hope at all,
To reach the top even though you stop for breathin’.
But I ain’t gonna try to make you cry,
The tear drops couldn’t find your eye,
It’s all been swell, Miss Carousel,
But the time has come for leavin’.

Repeat Chorus.

END.

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Flying Without Wings.

Flying Without Wings.

Vocals: Irish pop group Westlife.
Lyrics: British songwriter Wayne Hector, and record producer, songwriter and musician Steve McCutcheon [known professionally as Steve Mac]

Flying Without Wings.

Everybody’s looking for that something,
One thing that makes it all complete.
You’ll find it in the strangest places,
Places you never knew it could be.
Some find it in the face of their children,
Some find it in their lover’s eyes,
Who can deny the joy it brings,
When you’ve found that special thing,
You’re flying without wings.
Some find it sharing every morning,
Some in their solitary nights,
You’ll find it in the words of others,
A simple line can make you laugh or cry.
You’ll find it in the deepest friendships,
The kind you cherish all your life,
And when you know how much that means,
You’ve found that special thing,
You’re flying without wings.
So, impossible as it may seem,
You’ve got to fight for every dream,
‘Cause who’s to know which one you let go,
Would have made you complete.
Well, for me it’s waking up beside you,
To watch the sunrise on your face,
To know that I can say I love you,
In any given time or place.
It’s little things that only I know,
Those are the things that make you mine,
And it’s like flying without wings,
‘Cause you’re my special thing,
I’m flying without wings.
And you’re the place my life begins,
And you’ll be where it ends,
I’m flying without wings.
And that’s the joy you bring,
I’m flying without wings.

END

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Two Cart Wheels Stand.

Two Cart Wheels Stand.

Courtesy of Thurles Author & Poet Tom Ryan ©

Cart Wheels Heritage

Two Cart Wheels Stand.

Against the wall there now,
In a suburban garden,
Two cart-wheels stand,
Painted and varnished, white and black.
Once by a jennet drawn,
In a time and space,
Now long since gone.
But nurtured by the years of affection.
How utterly they seemed,
Out of time and space,
And yet and yet,
Adorned that place.

End

Tom Ryan, “Iona”, Rahealty, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

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“Roots Search”, Poem By Tom Ryan.

Poem hereunder courtesy of Thurles Author & Poet Tom Ryan ©

Headstone recorded in a Tipperary Churchyard.
Pic: G. Willoughby. ©

Roots Search

The stranger, grim-faced and zealous as a Missionary,
From another space came to discover,
In this time,
His original space,
With a pride like a child for a parent.
With eyes upon me fixed, he declared:
“All my people from this townland travelled
In the year before the famine to Australia.”

It was the surest sign of Summer,
To see him pensive there,
The headstones in the graveyard scanning,
And, assisted by the priest of the parish,
Who had his family records on computer now.
This seeker was more strange than a stranger,
In his uneasiness and uncertainty,
And his late in life zeal,
To forge a continuity,
In time and space.

END

Tom Ryan, “Iona”, Rahealty, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

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Singer-Songwriter Melanie Safka-Schekeryk Passes Away Aged 76.

American folk musician and much loved Melanie Safka passed away peacefully on Tuesday last (January 23rd 2024), her family have announced.

The song featured hereunder is more than just a catchy tune. The lyrics express a powerful reflection on the challenges and injustices people face in the political world around us.
“They’re only putting in a nickel and they want a dollar song”, and “We’re only putting in a little to get rid of a lot that’s wrong”; these words remind us that voices should never remain silent.
To this end in 1970, Melanie, (featured to perform on day 1) ,was the only artist to ignore the court injunction banning the infamous Powder Ridge Rock Festival, of Middlefield, Connecticut, U.S., same scheduled to be held on July 31st, August 1st and 2nd of that same year.

Nickel Song.

Vocals: American Singer-Songwriter Melanie Safka.
Lyrics: Melanie Safka

Nickel Song.

Well, you know that I’m not a gambler,
But I’m being gambled on.
They put in a nickel and I sing a little song,
Da, da, da, da, da.
They put in a nickel and I sing a little song.
Well, I don’t mind that they’re lucky,
But it seems that they always win,
And gamblin’ is illegal in the state of mind I’m in.
And if I had a nickel for each time that I’ve been put on,
I would be the nickel man and I’d sing a nickel song.
They’re only putting in a nickel and they want a dollar song,
Oh, Lord, they’re only putting in a little and they want a dollar song.
Well, you know, I don’t know so many things,
But I know what’s been goin’ on,
We’re only putting in a little to get rid of a lot that’s wrong,
And if we had a nickel for each time that we’ve been put on,
We’d all be the nickel man and we’d sing a nickel song.
You know, they’re only putting in a nickel,
And they want a dollar song.
Oh, Lord, they’re only putting in a nickel,
And they want a dollar song.
Well, you know that I’m not a gambler,
But I’m being gambled on,
They put in a nickel and I sing a little song.
Da, da, da, da, da.

END

Known to her fans by the performing name of Melanie; Melanie Safka was born on February 3rd, 1947, in the Astoria neighbourhood of Queens, New York City. Bothered by being classed as a “beatnik” by her classmates while attending Long Branch High School, she ran away to California and following her return to New Jersey, was transferred to Red Bank Regional High School. She graduated in 1964, though she was blocked from attending her commencement exercise, due to an overdue library book.

Melanie later studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, landing gigs at coffee houses and folk clubs in Greenwich Village, during New York’s then booming folk scene of the 1960’s. Same era saw the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem [from Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary, famed for their Aran jumpers and widely credited with popularising Irish traditional music], rise to become the eleventh best-selling folk musicians in the United States.

She met her future manager, producer and husband, Peter Schekeryk in 1967. They married in 1968 and when Columbia Records, who produced her first two singles, refused to allow her to record an album, she

Pre-deceased by her husband Peter in 2010; sadly, the much loved American folk musician passed away peacefully on Tuesday last (January 23rd 2024). Her children Leilah, Jeordie and Beau Jarred announced the news on Facebook yesterday, Wednesday. To date the cause of her death has not been fully confirmed, however her representatives mentioned in passing that she was suffering from an illness.

Melanie Safka was understood to be recently working on her 32nd album featuring cover songs; titled ‘Second Hand Smoke’.

In ár gcroíthe go deo.

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