Steer by the Stars

Nov 28, 2006 @ 10:52 am by r. pittman

As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, one of my favorite performers is Beth Patterson. I’ve transcribed one of my favorite songs she often performs. It just seemed to speak to me today. One word is in brackets, indicating I could be wrong on the transcription there. Of course I could be in other places too. You need to buy this CD of hers. It’s called, Hybrid Vigor. Here’s the song, “Steer by the Stars.”

Steer by the Stars by Beth Patterson

With twilight descending, in slumber you find

And I am certain that I have safely passed from your mind

Only then can I serenade you unconfined

In the secrecy of my heart

 

Do you shine bright as always

As in [sadness] of old

Do you sing with four voices,

Or breathe hot and cold

Do you nurture my memory

Or yet still behold another creature of some land apart

 

CHORUS:

How can a blind man steer by the stars?

And how can a poor man have power?

How can a dead man rise from the grave,

And how can I have hope in this hour?

 

I desired no promise, only your company,

And I flourished in your presence, most wholeheartedly,

Though I still would rejoin you, I face reality,

It attracts me from dusk until dawn

 

Now we all take our chances of what we became, but

Only fools would rush in where an angel’s been slain,

And the sound of far voices, you still call my name

Even though your presence is gone.

 

CHORUS:

 

Free from all envy and free from all pride

I marveled at your joy

As I walked by your side

 

And I wish not to taint you

With the aspects I hide

Of my past, my thoughts, and my fears

 

When time finally tempers this heart sick and sore

And your eyes no longer dance in my dreams anymore,

I will still sing your praises of a time long before

I was blinded by so many tears.

 

CHORUS:

 

On Deadly Ground

Nov 28, 2006 @ 07:32 am by r. pittman

I’ve always been a fan of the martial arts, so as I was wrapping up my evening, I couldn’t resist watching a few minutes of Stevan Segal in On Deadly Ground. The bar fight scene has always fascinated me, as has the title of the movie, which is obviously an allusion to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. There are many sites devoted to this military classic. One is here: http://www.chinapage.com/sunzi-e.html

I don’t watch TV much at all, but I am quite addicted to movies, especially if they can give me some memorable lines.

MOVIE QUOTE OF THE DAY: “What does it take to change the essence of a man?”–Forrest Taft, in On Deadly Ground.

Battleground Louisiana: Civil War Events and Experiences

Nov 27, 2006 @ 07:43 pm by r. pittman

Beginning February 22, on Thursday nights I’ll be the facilitator for this series sponsored by Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. It is a pilot program–meaning there’s no syllabus, and an experiement–but the five books are well-chosen and will certainly activate lively discussion, especially if the participants are as excited about the War Between the States as I am. The series will run from 6:00-8:00 pm each Thursday until March 29 and will be held at the Franklin Parish Library. It is part of the RELIC Library Programs the Endowment sponsors.

The books chosen are: Brokenburn: The Journal of Kate Stone, 1861-1868; One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End: The Red River Campaign; The Civil War in Louisiana; The Louisiana Native Guards: The Black Military Experience during the Civil War; and When the Devil Came down to Dixie: Ben Butler in New Orleans.

The reading load is reasonable, but there will be a good bit of preparation required on my part, but I am very excited. I’ll probably have another posting on this topic later.

MOVIE QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I will love you always. I will love you as my queen, and as the wife of my best friend, and while you live, I will love no other.” –Sir Lancelot in Excalibur.

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