When the Whip Comes Down

Is this one for Jocelyn?

I'm a fan of the Rolling Stones, there's no doubt about that.  First loves are The Beatles and The Who.  Then my second level are The Stones, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, seeing a trend here?  I sure am!

As this is Random Song Friday, it's time for today's random song, and this is it, When the Whip Comes Down by the Rolling Stones on the Some Girls album, released June, 1978.  More of a poppish album, but still a great one!  Well, maybe not great, but I sure love listening to it.

One of my girlfriends was a big Rolling Stones fan.  She was the major overlapping girlfriend during my high school years.  I remember that she didn't know the song Sister Morphine (which isn't on this album).  I didn't know it then either.  Now I know it well.  I have to say that this makes me question how much she really liked the Rolling Stones.

(Browser just crashed on this one too, but this time it was saved as a draft!  Strange!)

Yeah, mama and papa told me I was crazy to stay
I was gay in New York, a fag in L.A.
So I saved my money and I took a plane
Wherever I go they treat me the same

Mick Jagger has said that this song is, "...about an imaginary person who comes from L.A. to New York City and becomes a garbage collector."  However, as Wikipedia says, it sounds more like he becomes a prostitute.

Yeah, some call me garbage when I'm sweeping up the street
But I never roll and I never cheat
And I'm filling a need, yeah, I'm plugging a hole
My mama's so glad I ain't on the dole

So is that the streets he's actually sweeping, or is he "sweeping" for something else? Yeah, I think it's something else.

So, Jocelyn, just another tease?  Talks a good game but can't get down to business?  When will this whip come down already?

Vera

About a month ago I said that every Friday I would randomly pick a song from my iPod and that would be the theme of my Friday post.  I'm supposed to relate the song to some aspect of my life.  Well, it's not that I forgot, it was that I wasn't around any Friday since announcing this great new feature.  I am finally around again on a Friday, so I now reintroduce you all to my very popular feature: Random Song Friday.  (Not really, I don't think anyone cares about the 'feature'.  But I'm sure all of my {few} readers are happy for the new post.)

So, today's song is Vera.  Yes, that Vera by Pink Floyd from The Wall.  It's a rather short song.  In fact, here is the entire song:

Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn?
Remember how she said that
We would meet again
Some sunny day?
Vera! Vera!
What has become of you?
Does anybody else here
Feel the way I do?

So, how should I relate this to my life?  That's surprisingly easy.  This album was big, REALLY BIG, when I was in high school.  It came out in November, 1979 and I started high school in September, 1980.  (I'm 43, no need to do the math.)  So you can imagine how big this album was when I was in high school.  In fact, it hit #1 in 1980.  So it's not a shock to say that this album was one of my most often played in HS, right?

This album spoke to my soul!  I had built a wall around myself.  After being teased and tormented the first two years at high school, I felt like I needed a wall.  Who would I let into that wall?  Would I allow anyone to break it?  Anyone?  No one?

Does anybody else here feel the way I do?  It's hard to imagine that anyone is going through the same thing at that age.  Of course at 43 it's easy to imagine that everyone else is, but at 15 I was pretty sure that I was the only one that felt the way I did.  So that line always stuck out on this album for me; it always spoke directly to me.

Today I have a daughter that will soon turn 14.  I pretty sure she feels the same way.  I think she feels misunderstood.  She genuinely just wants to love and be loved.  She only wants to be nice and doesn't understand why others are not nice back.  This means that she will get hurt.  She will build a wall.  She will be very different in two years time.  She thinks that no one understands, but her parents understand.

It's sad thinking about this for her, the way that it never was for myself.  But this is my child and I love her.  Be strong baby!

Toronto!

Off to Toronto tomorrow.  I think this will be my last trip for a while because of the budget crunch.  Oh well.

I'll be visiting a friend while I'm there.  Hooray! 

I won't be near here.