by black francis » Thu Nov 22, 2007 4:11 am
Hey we're off topic here people. Sad, depressive songs! Allow me.
I didn't realize this was a sad, depressive song until I learned what it was about. But in the end it isn't really sad. More a celebration.
Frank Black - The Swimmer
In the wake of his chariot
You swam toward the latitudes
Leaving for happier times
Florida far behind
Trying your best you were
Ignoring the rescuers
You’d gone so very long
You were so very strong
The scene was so tragic
But that was the magic
Will you never drown?
Will you learn to use
Some forgotten part?
Some forgotten part?
Are you going down
Where the ballyhoos
And the tritons are?
You were so incredible
Finding all the edible
Prize of the sea
Prize of the sea
In the wake of his chariot
You swam toward the latitudes
Leaving for happier times
Florida far behind
In division pelagic
You were choragic
Will you never drown?
Will you learn to use
Some forgotten part?
Some forgotten part?
Are you going down
Where the ballyhoos
And the tritons are?
Now what it is about:
James Gamble Rogers IV
Rogers became most revered not for his musical acts but for his act of bravery, an act that ultimately led to his death. In October of 1991, while camping in Flagler Beach, Florida, Rogers heard someone who needed help. He followed the voice to find a man named Raymond Tracey stuck in rough water. Rogers jumped in and made the ultimate sacrifice: he saved the life of Tracey and lost his own life in the process.
Folk singing, unlike other genres of music, does not belong to the young: many folk singers get better with age. Because of this, Rogers, at the time of his death, seemed to be just getting started, leaving the world of folk music to shake its head and wonder what might have been.
For his musical talent, he was inducted to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1987 and posthumously given a Folk Heritage Award in 1993. For his sacrificing act, Rogers was awarded the Kiwanis Award for bravery and the Carnegie Award for heroism. The area of the beach where Rogers met his death was renamed The Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler, Beach and a school in St. Augustine was renamed The Gamble Rogers Middle School in St. Augustine. Rogers memory, his songs, and tributes to him also live on at the Gamble Rogers Memorial Foundation, a foundation set up with the purpose of never forgetting a legend.
And in my extensive travels (I have made it as far east as Missouri) the best Belgian waffles can be found at More Than Waffles in Encino, CA near Ventura and Louise. Ask for "The Ultimate". A warm Belgian waffle with strawberries, kiwi, blueberries and whip cream piled on top.
Lets try and stay on topic here.