brothers in arms
On Friday night, Jim and I went to see Garnet Rogers. It has been a while since I last saw him play live (probably since he played for us, with Greg Brown). The power of his music always overwhelms me, and that big big voice. He also taps into a personal mythology that uses symbols very close to the ones I use, so I not only get his stories from his music, I get mine.

[for those of you who don't know, Garnet's older brother Stan, the man who could do everything,died in 1983 when a fire broke out on his plane]

It was much too hot, and we expected a somewhat subdued set since Garnet had only brought in about half a dozen guitars. But he launched right into summer lightning, and when we got to hearts lifting in flight with the magpie, I was already captured.

Garnet spoke about Stan early in the set - he was having trouble with some feedback, and he talked about how he loves his old amps. He told the story of how his earliest clear memory of music is listening to the radio with his brother when he was about 4, and Stan teaching him to sing harmony to the songs. He said the amp that was misbehaving smelled like that old tube radio.

I have never seen him perform Night Drive without wanting to sob.
On Friday, he performed this song to end his show, and came back and did it to me again by covering the (Tom Kelly/Billy Steinberg) True Colors as his encore.

My only regret was the lack of Sparrow's Wing in the set. But it may have been just as well, as I was already weeping.


Night Drive

How bright the stars, how dark the night,
How long have I been sleeping?
Sleep overtook me on my western flight,
Held me in its keeping...

I had a dream it seemed so real,
Its passing left me shaking,
I saw you behind the wheel,
Of this very road I'm taking...

Hurtling westward through the prairie night,
Under the spell of the motion,
Your eyes were keen and bright in the dashboard light,
Dreaming of the Western Ocean...

Dusty towns left behind,
Mountains drawing ever nearer,
Your face was then as it was tonight,
Ever young, ever dearer...

I know this road and its every curve,
Where the hills commence their climbing,
We rested here if my memory serves,
The Northern Lights were shining...

You lit a smoke, we shared some wine,
We watched the sky in wonder,
Your laughter echoes after all this time,
In that high and wild blue yonder...

I don't know why I write these lines,
It's not like I could send you the letter,
It's more that I still love you after all this time,
It's that I wish I'd shown you better,

The years have flown beneath my wheels,
Dwindling in my rear view mirror,
As time has past our years have seemed less real,
But these night drives bring you nearer...

So tonight I'll wish upon these stars,
As they rise upwards to guide me,
I'll see you here just as you are,
Now as then beside me...

It scares me how the years have flown,
Like the leaves drift in September,
They lost sight of you as your legend's grown,
But this road and I - we remember...