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Why we sing.
Related threads:
Why We Sing, Part III (10)
Why We Sing - Jaime de Angulo (1)
Why We Sing, Part II (90)
More Why We Sing: a POW choir (13)
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: GUEST,Marion Date: 22 Aug 00 - 01:17 PM Hi Jake. It was published January 1, 2000, as part of the Ottawa Citizen's collection of moments from Canadian history. Marion |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: GUEST,Crazy Eddie Date: 22 Aug 00 - 09:58 AM **I was born a lonely singer, & I'm bound to die the same, But I've got to feed that hunger in my soul. And if I never have a nickel, I won't ever die of shame, 'Cos I don't believe that no one wants to know.** Kris Kristofferson.
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: GUEST,Jake Date: 22 Aug 00 - 12:21 AM Marion, Thanks for the article. Do you know when it was published. Thank you. Jake |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Diva Date: 21 Aug 00 - 04:00 PM Interesting thread. I was once asked this very question,as part of a PHD on Scottish singing style. I think my answer was because I could and there is a buzz you get from singing,alone or in a group. The best answer I heard was from a good friend of mine. For spite,he said. This guy is a mentor and good friend and the most wonderful singer of ballads. Perhaps you have to be cynical and Scottish to appreciate the irony of it. But it made me howl with laughter. |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Marion Date: 21 Aug 00 - 08:44 AM Forgive the length of this post, but I felt it was worth it. Here is an article I found in the Ottawa Citizen.
COURAGE DOWN BELOW - A Singing Miner Keeps Hope Alive at the Springhill Mine
Although the earth may not seem to move beneath our feet, it is constantly shifting. Nowhere is this more apparent then in a mine, where pressure builds up in gaseous pockets causing pressure-releasing shifts called bumps.
An hour after the first bump, a second followed that shook even the surface of the town and created a heart-chilling rumble. It proved to be the most severe bump in North American mining history. Underground, 73 people were killed instantly by a massive cave-in.
Rescue teams mobilized to find survivors. Within 24 hours, more than half the surviving miners made it to the surface. While anxious family members crowded at the pithead, the fabled team of draegermen who were specially trained to assist in such disasters found themselves hampered by communication breakdowns and ventilation problems.
It seemed to be a miracle when, six days later, a voice was heard through a ventilator pipe that stretched over 8000 metres below the surface and 12 more miners were saved.
Eight other miners would wait two and half more days in a metre-high pocket before being discovered in what Maurice Ruddick described as "a dungeon". For one of them, Percy Rector, help would be too late.
As the men waited, wondered, and prayed, Ruddick sang. Although the 46-year old father of 12 had suffered a broken leg, the trauma of crawling over fallen bodies to marginal haven, and the stun of toxic gas, he persisted in rallying his comrades' spirits with jokes and tunes.
"I cried quietly in the darkness, but I made sure nobody else heard me. It might have broken the resolve to live," Ruddick admitted in the aftermath.
When the seven men divided their last sandwich and drank the last of their water on Nov. 1, they also celebrated the birthday of miner Garnet Clarke with a resounding chorus of Happy Birthday, led by Ruddick. To survive, they chewed moist bark from the pitwall props, sucked coal, and even drank their own urine.
When the draegermen finally reached them on Nov. 5, one of the astonished rescuers reported that he found Ruddick "sitting on a stonetack, singing at the top of his lungs."
"Give me a drink of water and I'll sing you a song," he said in greeting, and the long ordeal came to an end.
Ruddick modestly underplayed his inspirational role, but others felt differently.
"If it wasn't for Maurice, they'd have all been dead," the mother of one of the miners told Ruddick's wife. After the disaster, the Springhill mine was closed forever.
The rescue made international headlines and Canada's "singing miner" experienced the spotlight briefly in public tributes. The governer of Georgia, Marvin Griffin, was so taken with the story that he invited the 19 Springhill survivors to recuperate on an all-expense-paid holiday at a swank resort. The gracious invitation changed dramatically when the governor discovered that Ruddick was black. The American south was strictly segregated in those days, and Ruddick's invitation only stood if he agreed to be segregated.
Initially, Ruddick refused the governor's terms. When it became apparent that his fellow miners planned to refuse to go without him, he accepted the invitation, suggesting to them: "We'll all have our holiday, then we'll be together again." In Georgia, he stayed at one of the few hotels that accepted blacks, while the others stayed at a vacation resort for millionaires. He could not attend functions in their honour, but the men he shared that darkened Springhill tomb with were proud to join a "segregated" celebration for Ruddick.
By popular consensus, Ruddick was named 1958's Canadian Citizen of the Year. When he presented the award to Ruddick, Ontario Premier Leslie Frost described him as "an inspiration to all...a man with the divine attribute of common sense." With the grace of a hero, Ruddick accepted the honour "for every miner in the town." |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Amos Date: 28 Feb 00 - 01:58 PM We live, sadly, in a world where too many make the harsh noises of the day -- the crying sounds, the harsh rebukes, the whining of the overcomfortable and the assertions and manipulations of the selfinterested many. To sing in the face of this gale of discord, to me, is to assert a different set of values, where concord is senior, and beauty has importance in the world. When I sing and especially when I get others to sing, that world reappears, and reasserts itself and its dominion over chaos and squabble. |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Dave (the ancient mariner) Date: 12 Feb 00 - 08:50 AM I enjoyed watching children singing sea shanties at the Maritime Museum in Halifax a few years ago. Tom Lewis was in town, and did a special at the museum. They rigged an old capstan with spars and rope attached to a big mat; some children sat on the mat as cargo, whilst the others worked the capstan. It was pure magic. My daughter sat on the mat and her brother worked the capstan and Tom sang South Australia, the kids joining in the chorus..Took me back to my own youth, *sigh* Yours,(A kodak moment) Aye. Dave |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 11 Feb 00 - 08:14 PM A drop of the pure! Thanks for reviving it and reviving us all.
I sing because it feels good. If it sounds good as well, that's a bonus.
Singing together with people who share something. Singing the old hymns in Church, when they're all joining in. Or when it's a small shy congregation, and you think you're the only one who's going to sing, and you hear the others as well. Singing on a march, and turning the slogans that divide into the songs that unite.
Or singing in a folk place, and you're on your own, and then other people join in. Singing a song you've made, or a song you've found, that says something you want to say, and finding that there's people who understand what you are on about.
Thanks to Big Mick for starting this thread, and the rest of you for keeping it the way it should be. |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: wysiwyg Date: 11 Feb 00 - 07:28 PM Margo, thank you for fetching this lovely thread into the present. I am honored to be here. Think of all the new 'catters seeing this example of community. Kind of takes away that whole nasty feeling people have worried about. I hope you all see yourselves with the same warm glow I see around you when I log in here. No I don't mean aura, haloes maybe. |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Margo Date: 11 Feb 00 - 05:00 PM Took my guitar to my son's preschool yesterday and sang a song I learned from a Pete Seeger birds and beasts CD. I was surprised by some spontaneous hugs from a couple of kids. One kid (I think he has downs syndrome or something) that I have never seen focus on anything came over and strummed on the strings! I was amazed and delighted. He had a very intent look in his eyes. It's wonderful to see a child like that make a connection with something. I think I'll always be singing for the children. Margo |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: WyoWoman Date: 27 Sep 99 - 12:37 AM Ah, Mick. Yer such a softie. It's why we love you. Margarita--I think that's fascinating about the little girl sitting and listening attentively, but I don't really find it surprising. I do think music provides a completely separate pathway to the brain and might actually bypass some of the damaged part of the road for people with such impairments as autism or ADD. My children's half-brother is severely ADD and dyslexic, and what has been the saving grace in his life has been his connection to music. He can barely sit still for one minute doing school work or just sitting for whatever reason, but if there's music involved, he can sit for much, much longer and be attentive and actually learn a great deal. He's in his early teens now and has learned guitar and sings and is learning bass. When my children were little, I wanted them to know their full names, addresses and phone numbers, as well as my husband's and my full names (besides "Daddy" and "Mommy"). When I just kept drilling them about it, nothing seemed to stick. But when I made a very rhythmic little song out of it, they learned it in a day. Music not only soothes the savage beast, it provides a back road into our beyootiful brains. ... ww |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Big Mick Date: 26 Sep 99 - 09:32 PM Margarita, You exactly addressed the title by virtue of telling the story. It is exactly what I had in mind when I started the thread. All of us, in the exercising of our craft, will have remarkable experiences. Some will be happy, some sad, some touching, some depressing. I hope that in telling the story's, it will help all of us to realize that we have an obligation to use our gifts in a way benefits our souls, and the souls around us. Great addition. If I had walked down that hall and seen the Lollipop trees, I believe I would have had tears running down my face. All the best, Big Mick |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Margo Date: 26 Sep 99 - 07:38 PM So I didn't address the name of the thread, Why We Sing. Well, I began to sing again for myself, as attending song circle did help tremendously in bringing me out of a deep depression. But now that I am enjoying it myself, I find others too are benefitting. Isn't that the way it ought to be? Margarita |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Margo Date: 26 Sep 99 - 07:27 PM I have had the most interesting and rewarding experience lately at my son's preschool. Forrest, my son, has autism and is attending the local early childhood center. The new principal plays piano while the kids are going to class. She found out that I play concertina, and asked me to play sometimes. Of course, I accepted. Since then I have played concertina, sung with the piano, played piano, and finally, I brought my guitar. I sang "The Lollipop Tree" and was rewarded with cheers and enthusiastic jumping when I finished the song. But I had no idea what kind of impact a song can have on the kids. The next day when I came in, the teachers showed me the new artwork on the hallway wall: picture after picture of lollipop trees! I was tickled pink. It's become a gig, four mornings a week. That's ok, because I want to record a CD of children's songs, and this will certainly boost my repetoire. But I can't help but think about the one little girl with autism (my guess) that is wild and obstinate, yet sits quietly and attentively for the song. Hmmmm....music soothes the savage breast... Margarita |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Canberra Chris Date: 07 Sep 99 - 05:12 AM When I was four my mother taught me to sing 'You Are My Sunshine', and she was my sunshine, a happy, confident, loving young mother, and when I sang it it was true, as every song has been since, at least while I am singing it. When she was 70 I sang it again into a tape recorder, because I was half a world away from her big birthday party, and I sent it there. And they sent me back a video tape of all the rest of her family and her friends playing it at the party. And after the first line, they all joined in, in a rich, deep chorus. I sing because songs are true, because it's the only way I have made people laugh and cry at the same time (except punning!), because when I sing with other people we are all transported together, because when I sing alone my being resonates with everything, because it gets through, because it's the gate to fairyland, and the key to the lock, because of the songs, because I am in love with anyone who can sing, while they are singing, because it pours out, because of other peoples' eyes, because the songs sing themselves through me. My favourite song is a song I only sing for singers - 'Singing Bird' "For there's none of them can sing so sweet, My singing bird as you, Ahhhhhh, my singing bird as you." |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: WyoWoman Date: 06 Sep 99 - 11:36 PM Thanks, both of you. I just ordered it from Amazon.com, my financial nemesis... WW |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: catspaw49 Date: 06 Sep 99 - 09:22 PM WW........Nectar of God is a great song ......and so are lots of others by Patrick Sky. I am a huge fan and his influence on me was significant. He quit performing as he was tired of the direction he saw things going. Not all of his albums are available on CD but a couple are and you can find them at CDNow and probably some others. Pat returned to his roots and I understand he is doing uillean pipes/music research and writings now. He was a true folksinger and also a fine songwriter. Check him out. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: WyoWoman Date: 06 Sep 99 - 03:37 PM Don-- Isn't that interesting? I've had a similar experience with a couple of my life's "villains." Met them years later and, judging to whom the years had been kindest, realized that I had weathered it all fairly well. No, I couldn't find it, so if you can either post or tell me where to go ... ww |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: DonMeixner Date: 06 Sep 99 - 02:28 PM Hi Wyo When last I saw Mr. Hanley he was selling suits at a discount clothing store. He said he played organ in his church. He had not yet solved his drinking problem. Nectar of God is by Patrick Sky, if you can't find it, I'll look it it up in the "Attic of No Return" and post it for you Don |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: WyoWoman Date: 06 Sep 99 - 11:55 AM Yes, a splendid story, and here's to all the Mr. Hanley's in our lives and where are they now?
And now I'm off on a search for "Nectar of God," which I didn't find in the DT. Any directions? WW |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Big Mick Date: 05 Sep 99 - 08:57 PM Thanks for a wonderful story, Don. Exactly what I hoped for. Different folks giving all the reasons why. A marvellous addition to the thread. All the best, Mick |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Frank Hamilton Date: 05 Sep 99 - 12:12 PM Sing-ito ergo sum! |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: catspaw49 Date: 05 Sep 99 - 10:55 AM Then you've obviuosly been dancing with the wrong ones Peter. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Peter T. Date: 05 Sep 99 - 10:52 AM Don, are you suggesting that women from Buffalo are all hookers? I have danced with many a Buffalo gal, occasionally by the light of the moon, and they were all ladies of impeccable virtue (more or less). yours, Peter T. |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: lloyd61 Date: 05 Sep 99 - 10:49 AM Thanks Mick... I have found the Big Brother program to be a wonderful mentor program. Steve's father lives on the strret after getting out of jail. When I met steve he was 12 years old, full of hate and anger. Today he is 24, the only member of his family working, searching for a quality of life, trying to make it on his own, Plays a bass guitar we found in the garbage and is trying to help others. What happened? A group of folk music friends made him feel welcome, gave him a helping hand and lifted him up! Why do I sing? It lifts me up first and Its the only way I know how to lift others. My words only go to the heart, but music reaches the soul. Thanks agian Mick. Lloyd61 |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: katlaughing Date: 05 Sep 99 - 01:07 AM WOW! Don, thanks for telling that story. It was great and bucket*! to the Mr. Hanleys! kat * my niece's euphemism for f*%# it, around her three year old |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: DonMeixner Date: 05 Sep 99 - 12:46 AM And perhaps I sing because there are people who can't sing. Or have no voice. Or maybe they won't sing for fear of being embarassed or being laughed at. Or because they too had a Mr. Hanley in their past. Don |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: DonMeixner Date: 05 Sep 99 - 12:37 AM When I was kid a teacher , Mr. Hanley, told my parents I shouldn't even try to sing. He had asked for new members for the chorus. He auditioned us in class by blowing a whistle and having us all sing a song in French while he gave us each a critical ear. This was the first time I had seen a pitch pipe and I had no idea what it was for. I just sang. He passed by me. I begged for a second chance and he agreed to audition me separately. He played the piano and I sang while he shook his head or frowned. He told my parents I had no idea of tune, time, or key. He would let me into the Elementary chorus because I tried so hard and because it was obvious that I wanted to be there. But could I please not sing loud. So I didn't sing lound when he was around but at night on the tractor I sang out loud every song I knew. I sand in the car with Dad going fishing for Bullheads at Fairhaven. Most hymns and gospel tunes. My Mom, the devout babtist woman that she is, taught me to sing Buffalo Gals, a song about dancing with hookers. I'll never understand that. We just sang in family because we could. Not that we knew how or that keys were important. It was the singing that was important. When I got older and my friends had guitars and sang all the time, I listened and wished I could play something and sing too. My Mom gave me an Autoharp for Christmas in 1968. I finally had an instrument and In time I found a voice. My friend Dick Ward explained to me about keys and singing there in. I learned to tune it and play it and I learned Can't Help But Wonder, and Everytime, and Changes, and Last Thing on My Mind, and Many A Mile. Then one day in the spring of 69 at a senior class picnic when everyone was playing Cruel War, and Dona Dona Dona, I got out the Auto harp and slipped in Nectar of God. This stopped them all cold. Then Randy said " Do You know another one?" Thats why I sing. Don |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: WyoWoman Date: 04 Sep 99 - 04:08 PM Yes, I know what you mean. Now that I'm a writer and journalist, that's just a different kind of singing, but I always want to use my voice, in whatever form, to keep putting the idea out there that we all have a responsibility to each other, and to standing for justice in whatever way we can. Sometimes, though, just to have a great time! ww |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Big Mick Date: 04 Sep 99 - 11:18 AM Actually WW, it is exactly about music. Music has always been about the human condition. In the hands of the skilled music makers, whole generations of people have been affected, movements started, the seeds of change sown. We sing for many reasons, and they are very personal. Some are not comfortable with these stories from my experiences. Some, like our friend Tom, would like to steer it onto a different plane. And if that is what my thread means to him, very good. For me, it is very simple. I have spent most of my life until now, and will continue to, trying to walk the path and see what is around me. And where I see a need for change, do what I can to effect a positive change. We are bards of the modern era, and our job is to tell the story of our people. In my work, I have seen the new poor. She is black, brown, white, beige, yellow..........She has several kids she is trying to raise herself.......often with no financial assistance.........He is the undereducated man who did not have strong role models......He and his wife are both working, and one of them has two jobs......and neither has health insurance. And I see the children. They didn't ask for any of this, and in their poverty they still have hope, God Bless 'em, they still have hope. I don't know how to write songs, so I just look for the good ones that allow me to use what little talent I have to tell about them......and I sing, most of the time in the wind, but I sing anyway. Someone will hear...........I hope. Mick |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: WyoWoman Date: 04 Sep 99 - 12:01 AM God, Mick. That story just tore my heart. Having been a single mom without child support for many years, and a working person with two children and no health insurance for some of those years, I completely empathize with that woman. Amazing, isn't it, that the employment statistics show such a strong economy -- 2% unemployment, 4% unemployment -- yet, working people still have no health insurance and have to work three jobs to pay the rent and put food on the table. My situation has drastically improved in the past few years, but I remember those bleak, pared to the bone years and it makes me sick to think how many families in this country are living that way. I know -- this isn't about music, but ... oh well. Part of why I sing is that sometimes it's simply the only way to keep your heart from breaking completely into pieces -- or at least to give the shattered spirit a voice of its own. Also the joyous one -- but I seem to need song less when I'm happier. ww |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: tom Date: 03 Sep 99 - 03:40 AM Catspaw, I get it; heck, do you think I read the whole thread? I actually was trying to steer it, that's all. And so I'm waiting for your contribution that way if you have time... Thank you katlaughing for the introductions. I'm not only new to mudcat but new to cyberspace (uh oh) because of problems with my f****** server (does anyone think the jerky boys are funny?); we had a helluva time getting online for years, dial up dial up dial up etc. so I just said f*** it, I read books, I play music, I see and touch people, and i'm a bit of a luddite, but not as I type these keys!..I know people who've been glued, and i'm shocked, just shocked, that anyone would...oh well...here I am...and I dig the shit out of it! And to think, everything I say and do becomes part of my permanent record, that I can dig a thread out...love that non-linear quantum leap logic...an intelligent search...would find...the exact songs I want to play, songs I don't even know even, with little MIDI squeal tones so that I can sing it, too...Dagadi dig it! And that people put so much time into it, and it's so wonderful! You all know that sharing is everything, right? Anyway, I'm prolix and never know when to shut up, because nobody really knows...except the silent wise sages who watch us with the most extreme patience (how do you italicise email, and put those umlauts and accent marks?)...The three dot lounge...as time goes by...self indulgence...for lack of others to indulge in?...cyber fellows...forgive the rookie, have you ever been tired, and I thank you for your sense of humor. Be careful out there!
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: catspaw49 Date: 03 Sep 99 - 03:07 AM You've got to be kidding? Within the title of a thread after more than 5 posts? Very novel idea Tom! Let me know how it turns out. Wishing you the best. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: katlaughing Date: 03 Sep 99 - 03:07 AM Tom: one thing you'll find at the Mudcat, everyone always feels free to comment, whether you want them to or not. It is full of erudite, witty, opinionated, wonderful people who most all love to express themselves, including moi. It is one a.m. in the Rocky Mtn West, my carpal tunnel is trying to crash in pain, ad I am too tired to write much right now, but if you will refresh the threads back a few month, say back to February or so, you will find threads which have postings addressing some of what you bring up. For more specific, perhaps faster searching, when you go to the search forum function, choose one of the old-time regulars, such as Big Mick, Sandy Paton, Alison in Oz, or others, put one of those names in as the User, then watch what comes up & enjoy the read. A couple of my favourites include the Xenophobia thread and the Music Therapy one. I am sure several more will come to mind as soon as I hit enter message:-)For some fun, go to the last few postings in the current Mudcat tavern Round 9 thread. You'll see also never take ourselves too seriously. It's all about balance, ya know? Welcome aboard...it's a helluva ride. katlaughing |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: tom blodget Date: 03 Sep 99 - 01:33 AM I didn't realize how quickly one can get a response around here. Thank you, katlaughing, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I really liked the title of the thread, that's what got me going. I hope others write about it now as if the title were Why I Sing (or Why We Sing), just simply, like that. Why do you sing? Why is it that some people don't? What is it about the human voice, the sound(s), speech, pitch, timbre, etc.? Is it special? Or do we just love the sound of our own voices? Do others? How does it affect them? How are you affected, yourself, when you sing? Is sound sacred? Is the use of sound today desecrated? What role does singing, or learning to sing or learning music, have in early childhood education? (Well, let's keep it within the title of the essay) There are so many questions I have. Feel free to comment... |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: katlaughing Date: 03 Sep 99 - 01:19 AM Well said, Tom B! |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: tom blodget Date: 03 Sep 99 - 01:10 AM I sing to become, in that vocal moment(which can last hours!), ONE with the universe, where time stands still, like a child at play, as one absorbed in being. There is something mystical and archetypal about the musical scale, and our prancing about it... I don't think it's a human invention but rather a discovery of a timeless truth, and when you get near to it, you are dissolved into it, and the spirit becomes you. In our gatherings at times I feel "transported", time falls away only until someone leaves because they say it's after 3 am. In the songwriting process, the search for beauty in the curves and turns of a melody is about the most divine form of meditation I know...whereas the revivifying of a sacred tune, by singing it, is a most holy polishing of the spirit... Some people meditate on simplicity, on the absence of extraneousness or the unnecessary; some meditate on a simple object; others do walking meditation; and lots of people at different times and different places meditate actively on the creative act, whatever it may be, but it often involves moving parts of the body mechanically or electrically...this is also meditation...the mind and body align with a greater goal, still a mystery to us. Why do I sing? Because melody is seductive, harmony is cooperative, and song brings us together. Tom Blodget
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Big Mick Date: 02 Sep 99 - 10:35 PM I am reminded of an organizing drive I was on about 10 years ago. I was in the apartment of a lovely young woman of about 30 years. She had three kids, the oldest 11 yrs old and the youngest 5. She was white, pretty and could have been the daughter of any middle class family you could imagine. But she had bags under her eyes. And she was a single mother. She wanted to sign the authorization card for me, but she wanted to do it too quickly. That is always troublesome to me as I want them to question why they should. I want the discussion of the issues. Why? Because it is a difficult process on the employess to organize and I want to make sure that they understand the issues, pro and con. It strenthens their resolve for the long haul ahead. I remember asking her if she had questions about anything, how about dues? She looked up at me with those tired eyes and said, "Mr. Lane you are a nice man, and I appreciate what you are trying to do. Do you see this child? (She put her arm around the 11 year old boy) He is only 11, but everyday after school he has to come home from school, and unlock the apartment, get his brother and sister from the neighbors and babysit until I get home from work at night. I have to work three jobs to keep things going because his Father pays no child support, and I don't have health insurance on any of them. If you can just get me health insurance for my kids so at least they don't have to go to school sick, you can have all the money I make on one of my jobs for dues." Will the circle, be unbroken, by and by Lord, by and by............ |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: WyoWoman Date: 02 Sep 99 - 10:24 AM Well, Mick, having had a few similar situations come up in my life, I know the wrenching of the heart that accompanies such awareness. (This, I believe, is why so many people keep their lives in tight little circles, so they never have to bump in to these eye-and heart-opening experiences.) The one way to drive yourself completely nutz in such situations is to be attached to a particular outcome. but if you can stay semi-detached, you actually can make a difference sometimes. (Says she to whom emotional detachment seems an utter contradiction in terms ...) A huge body of research these days points to the fact that sometimes all it takes to save a kid is ONE adult who is rational and committed to the kid. A pretty sad statistic when you figure that a great number of kids don't even get THAT little smidgen of adult sanity. But at any rate, just being a presence in some of these kids lives, and letting them know that you're there and that there's another way to live a life can give them enough to go on.... At any rate, it behooves those of us whose hearts connect with children to keep fighting the good fight and hoping that at least a little bit of it will stick. I have a couple of examples in my life of where it did, although not immediately, and in relatively minor ways. It all counts, though. ww |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Peter T. Date: 02 Sep 99 - 09:04 AM Mick, that is a terrible story. Wordsworth's phrase from Intimations of Immortality -- "Shades of the prison house begin to close upon the growing boy" is true. I think we are blessed just having you out there. yours, Peter T. |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Rick Fielding Date: 01 Sep 99 - 02:13 AM Thanks Mick. Like Catspaw I feel blessed to have been directed here (by Sandy), but Oh Lordy, I wish I'd found it sooner. Now coming from someone who often has his tongue planted firmly in his cheek this may sound out of character, but the thoughts and postings of a lot of Mudcatters have helped me deal with 1999 in a way I never could have before. Rick |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: catspaw49 Date: 31 Aug 99 - 11:53 PM And I too wish you the best in your efforts Mick. Sometime when we're together I'll tell you the story of the E***** family and the tragic outcome of everyone's best work. Keep up your work, sometimes the magic happens; it may for Timmy, I hope for both of you it does. And sometimes....well.................. Damn if I ain't lucky to have stumbled into this place. Lots of love, lots of uderstanding, lots of humanity, lots of music.....and some very special friends. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Dave Swan Date: 31 Aug 99 - 11:34 PM Mick, my friend, I hope you see Timmy too. If it's only for the time he's in contact with you, that kid will be exposed to heart, humanity, and goodness. D |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Big Mick Date: 31 Aug 99 - 11:07 PM The thought for the day for August 31, 1999 caused me to refresh this thread. I have told you of the kids that gave me hope that in spite what they deal with, now let me tell you of a young one who made me despair. Timmy was another of my "Christmas" kids. He loved the toys and things. I had him in my vehicle as we shuttled the kids back to school from the party. He is gorgeous. Sandy haired, and with a personality to die for. I was talking to the kids about what they wanted to do with their lives. Remember that these are 8 year old kids in the second grade. When I got to Timmy, he was very excited and said that he wanted to be a convict when he grew up. He proceeded to tell me that they had TV's and got to eat 3 meals a day, and they gave you clothes and everything. I tried to explain what prison was about, but Timmy insisted that his DaddieS were in prison and he wanted to be just like them. And, he said, that they got to eat all the food they wanted. We dropped him off and he went out to play on the playground. The thread was meant to cause those of us who try to use our music as a tool in our service to one another, to really think about why we do what we do. One of the reasons for me is Timmy. I hope I see him this year. Mick |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Ralph Butts Date: 20 Dec 98 - 11:21 AM Ritchie, it's rare and wonderful but, I guess, so obvious, that we all sing from the same book. Season's wishes, all.......Tiger |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Ritchie Date: 20 Dec 98 - 09:58 AM Sometimes you can be at a concert or wherever and some one is singing and 'the hairs on the back of your head stand up' and some times your cheeks blush and fill with colour..do you know the feeling ? Well this is the first time this has happened to me that I can recollect when I've actually been reading something... Perhaps I can hear you all singing from the same hymn book Thank you all very, very much.. love ,peace & happiness from a very humble Ritchie xxxxx. |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Big Mick Date: 20 Dec 98 - 09:49 AM Hi folks,
When I started this, I was not sure what I was writing. All I knew, is that these wee kids, touched me and taught me so much about humility, and the spirit of the season, and I just had to share it with someone who would understand what was going on deep within me. Alison, yes, I am glad I started it too..... And the amazing story's that came after.....they touched me very deeply. While I was singing Amazing Grace, I had an experience which will remain private, but it was an remarkable, peaceful, and very deep experience. Sitting and looking out at the lake, and the sky, feeling the presence of others, and knowing why we were singing and what was taking place, it all combined for quite and experience. And after our friend Bill's posting, I think that all I can say is ................Amen. Mick |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Bill Cameron Date: 20 Dec 98 - 09:06 AM Yesterday's Ottawa Citizen had a small writeup on the death by lethal injection of one Andrew L Smith in South Carolina, the 500th execution in the US since Gary Gilmore in 77. Included some uncharitable remarks about death penalty opponents from the state Attorney General, and some details about the double murder Andrew Smith was convicted of that I'd just plain rather not have known about. Life gets complicated, don't it. But what really caught my attention: "Before the curtain was drawn on the death chamber, witnesses could hear people singing Amazing Grace." I guess that's another reason for singing. Bill |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: Alice Date: 19 Dec 98 - 11:25 PM logan, you have a 'family' now that you have found us. alice |
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Subject: RE: Why we sing. From: logan Date: 19 Dec 98 - 08:39 PM Two days after my 4th birthday I became an orphan, was put in foster care with strangers and separated from a surviving younger brother who I have never seen again. That was 48 years ago. By the time I was 6 I had been in at least 8 foster homes, often abused and neglected. Then one day a most wonderful thing happened. I went to a library and was listening to records with headphones on. I put on a record and heard the most wonderful voice and songs I had ever heard. I listened over and over and over and went back every day that I could until I moved away. The lady singing was Jean Ritchie and she and her songs changed my life. As I continued through childhood whenever times were tough I heard her singing in my head. She had a calming, consoling affect on me like nothing else. Sometimes I was able to find her records again and I would listen. I also started finding other singers and songs I loved. From the songs and the singers I learned much about life and living. The music became a large part of who I was to become. The music became and still is the only consistent thing in my life. It is forever a part of me. I moved around from foster home to foster home more than 40 times. The songs are the only thing I have that no one can take away. I still, at over 50, have no family. But that's ok because I have the songs and many friends who love the songs as well. Singing with friends is the greatest joy of my life and finding Mudcat several months ago was as wonderful as discovering Jean Ritchie so many years ago. So, Big Mick, I thank you for your stories and I'm grateful for your existence. I understand where the children you wrote about are coming from. They are lucky to make your acquaintance. You may never know how you affected their lives, but know that you have. I hope that all of you Mudcatters will keep on singing because you never know when you may influence some child and forever change their life. I sing because singing is a part of me that I must share, even though I don't sing all that well. I hope all of you have wonderful holidays, however you celebrate. Keep singing. I will visit Mudcat often.
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