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Post-script: huh. Google says the lyric is *supposed* to be “Keep me free from birth.” I always heard Harrison’s version wrong. Any idea what that lyric means? Is he hoping against accidental pregnancy?
yeah, it’s free from birth. my assumption is that it is reference to a desire to escape the karmic wheel of transmigration. and i think we can take that as referring to literal birth, but also the birth of psychic attachments. to put it in taoist terms (i’ve been into Thomas Cleary’s translation of the taoist I Ching lately) it is to say ‘keep me in the mind of tao’ rather than the conditioned human mind. to be born is to enter into conditional awareness, of joys, sorrows and whatnot. to be free from birth is to retain what the taoist alchemists called the primal energy, the mind of tao.
so, free from birth and free from hurt are analogous… though if i did sing the latter it was unintentionally.
I cannot believe how moved I am by your singing of this song. You’ve seen Concert for George, I suppose. I have a version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps that I play on the piano sometimes. Another song, I wonder if you’ve sung it, is Beware of Darkness, in a similar spiritual vein. Eric Clapton sings it at Royal Albert Hall during his tribute to George. As the years go by I am more and more drawn particularly to George’s output of the Beatles’ songwriters.
I just bought a digital recorder so I’ll be sending you some stuff soon if you’d like.
first, yes, i’d love to have music from you. i’ll send you an address.
i’ve been increasingly drawn to George, too, over the past few years… as a person, too. never heard Beware of Darkness.
last night i started putting together a new album with three covers (tupelo honey, simple twist of fate and lo and behold off james taylor’s first album), a few new originals and some older originals that have been mostly finished for a couple years. i’ll send you a copy when it’s done.
Fantastic. I’ve been building up a repertoire of covers, and want to make a recording of about 3 or 4 of them along with some original material, too.
I was inspired to learn Give Me Love from your performance. Do you find that it is interesting to reflect on what sorts of tunes you choose to learn, or to spend any real time with? I do. I’ve found a few interesting patterns.
One is that I am naturally drawn to music I heard as a child — the earliest stuff. I also have noticed that I’ve chosen music from a time in which I was largely innocent of music as something to study or be good at. It was a time in which taste is largely instinctive and personal, rather than something cultivated. I certainly did not apply rigorous standards of any kind. I am enjoying a return of this feeling even as I cultivate, nonetheless an adult sensibility, which is just to say, that innocence does not last in its original form.
I am certain there must be plenty of overlap between the songs we’d be drawn to.
no doubt there is. i generally choose to learn songs that i deeply identify with… which i guess is obvious. some of that identification happened when i was a child (helplesslyy hoping comes to mind… though i never actually learned it, but rather woke up one morning understanding how to play it). lots have happened during break-ups, with my break-up with diane bringing the most songs. i first heard give me love at the wedding of friends, under very unusual circumstances that i’ll relate sometime. i learned it the next day.
but yeah, in general i likewise learn those songs that have penetrated ‘all the way down’ – which means in childhood or else during later periods when i was particularly vulnerable/receptive.
Well, I’d be happy to see them when they come around here. I plan to see Keith Jarret Trio at Carnegie Hall in June. I’ve always wanted to see Jarrett live. Recent musical events of note for me have been: Rufus Wainwright (solo), Brad Mehldau (solo), Richie Havens (solo and duo show about a year ago). I’ve also started seeing more local acts, and have been enjoying them.
portland is 120 miles from here. so yes, even beyond the ticket price (which is sure to be high) there are other significant costs… and really the show doesn’t hold much interest for me.
Well, if you’re not keen on it, then you wouldn’t go if it were next door, or, possibly, free. I like their music, and I know they have an old association, with King writing songs that Taylor sang and so on —. I wouldn’t go 120 miles either. But I would for Jarrett. I went to Cambridge to see Mehldau. Do you know Brad Mehldau at all? He is known for presenting music of our generation as classics for improvisational interpretation. He’s all over Youtube. He performs Nick Drake songs (know about him?), Beatles. He played Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” as his final encore. It was divine. His version of “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” prompted me to explore the same, or a similar “canon”.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
what’s this?
Reply
February 10th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
what do you mean?
Reply
February 10th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
it’s me singing a george harrison song i particularly like.
Reply
February 10th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Very nice. I assumed from your Gandalfian writing that you were much older.
Are you singing “free from hurt” or “free from birth”? (especially at 1:14); Freudian slip after a touchy interaction with your mom?
Reply
February 10th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Post-script: huh. Google says the lyric is *supposed* to be “Keep me free from birth.” I always heard Harrison’s version wrong. Any idea what that lyric means? Is he hoping against accidental pregnancy?
Reply
February 10th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
yeah, it’s free from birth. my assumption is that it is reference to a desire to escape the karmic wheel of transmigration. and i think we can take that as referring to literal birth, but also the birth of psychic attachments. to put it in taoist terms (i’ve been into Thomas Cleary’s translation of the taoist I Ching lately) it is to say ‘keep me in the mind of tao’ rather than the conditioned human mind. to be born is to enter into conditional awareness, of joys, sorrows and whatnot. to be free from birth is to retain what the taoist alchemists called the primal energy, the mind of tao.
so, free from birth and free from hurt are analogous… though if i did sing the latter it was unintentionally.
Reply
February 10th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
just wondering: is there a reason you’re spelling Anonymous as Anonmous? does it have some meaning?
Reply
February 10th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Thanks for explanation – that make sense. My name should be “Anonymouse” as in “Anonymous Mouse.”
Reply
February 11th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
ah, that’s how i was reading it but i wasn’t sure if it was intentional.
Reply
February 24th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
I cannot believe how moved I am by your singing of this song. You’ve seen Concert for George, I suppose. I have a version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps that I play on the piano sometimes. Another song, I wonder if you’ve sung it, is Beware of Darkness, in a similar spiritual vein. Eric Clapton sings it at Royal Albert Hall during his tribute to George. As the years go by I am more and more drawn particularly to George’s output of the Beatles’ songwriters.
I just bought a digital recorder so I’ll be sending you some stuff soon if you’d like.
Reply
February 25th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
first, yes, i’d love to have music from you. i’ll send you an address.
i’ve been increasingly drawn to George, too, over the past few years… as a person, too. never heard Beware of Darkness.
last night i started putting together a new album with three covers (tupelo honey, simple twist of fate and lo and behold off james taylor’s first album), a few new originals and some older originals that have been mostly finished for a couple years. i’ll send you a copy when it’s done.
Reply
bi11 reply on February 25th, 2010 8:33 pm:
Fantastic. I’ve been building up a repertoire of covers, and want to make a recording of about 3 or 4 of them along with some original material, too.
I was inspired to learn Give Me Love from your performance. Do you find that it is interesting to reflect on what sorts of tunes you choose to learn, or to spend any real time with? I do. I’ve found a few interesting patterns.
One is that I am naturally drawn to music I heard as a child — the earliest stuff. I also have noticed that I’ve chosen music from a time in which I was largely innocent of music as something to study or be good at. It was a time in which taste is largely instinctive and personal, rather than something cultivated. I certainly did not apply rigorous standards of any kind. I am enjoying a return of this feeling even as I cultivate, nonetheless an adult sensibility, which is just to say, that innocence does not last in its original form.
I am certain there must be plenty of overlap between the songs we’d be drawn to.
Reply
jones reply on February 25th, 2010 8:59 pm:
no doubt there is. i generally choose to learn songs that i deeply identify with… which i guess is obvious. some of that identification happened when i was a child (helplesslyy hoping comes to mind… though i never actually learned it, but rather woke up one morning understanding how to play it). lots have happened during break-ups, with my break-up with diane bringing the most songs. i first heard give me love at the wedding of friends, under very unusual circumstances that i’ll relate sometime. i learned it the next day.
but yeah, in general i likewise learn those songs that have penetrated ‘all the way down’ – which means in childhood or else during later periods when i was particularly vulnerable/receptive.
Reply
bi11 reply on February 25th, 2010 9:43 pm:
“Particular vulnerable and receptive” is the right way to put it. That is, perhaps, one way in which experience meets innocence. The Break-up songs.
February 27th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
“I Me Mine” Harrison, —just learned that one tonight. Surprised to fine it suits my voice pretty well. I tried playing it slowly — was nice.
Reply
February 28th, 2010 at 1:20 am
ah, yes, i can imagine. i’d forgotten that song. a great one.
Reply
March 1st, 2010 at 8:08 pm
May 7th Portland, OR — James Taylor and Carole King. You going?
Reply
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:15 am
i very much doubt it. certainly not, barring some unforeseen events.
Reply
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:43 am
Too bad. Money issues?
Well, I’d be happy to see them when they come around here. I plan to see Keith Jarret Trio at Carnegie Hall in June. I’ve always wanted to see Jarrett live. Recent musical events of note for me have been: Rufus Wainwright (solo), Brad Mehldau (solo), Richie Havens (solo and duo show about a year ago). I’ve also started seeing more local acts, and have been enjoying them.
Reply
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:14 pm
portland is 120 miles from here. so yes, even beyond the ticket price (which is sure to be high) there are other significant costs… and really the show doesn’t hold much interest for me.
Reply
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Well, if you’re not keen on it, then you wouldn’t go if it were next door, or, possibly, free. I like their music, and I know they have an old association, with King writing songs that Taylor sang and so on —. I wouldn’t go 120 miles either. But I would for Jarrett. I went to Cambridge to see Mehldau. Do you know Brad Mehldau at all? He is known for presenting music of our generation as classics for improvisational interpretation. He’s all over Youtube. He performs Nick Drake songs (know about him?), Beatles. He played Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” as his final encore. It was divine. His version of “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” prompted me to explore the same, or a similar “canon”.
Reply
March 3rd, 2010 at 1:25 pm
i’d go if it were free next door.
yeah, i’m familiar with Nick Drake… but not Brad Mehidau.
Reply