by Kevin Janes
As I’m confined to my home and immediate surroundings like most of our community, the most striking observation I’ve made is how my attention is piqued like no other time in my life since childhood. Alongside the anxiety and uncertainty of the times, I’m reminded of what author David Dark calls his “attention collection,” those things you notice, are moved by, and catalogue in some special corners of your brain and heart for fond recollection later (apologies to David Dark for maybe missing the mark on that definition!).
Music and nature are two things I hold dear, so it’s no wonder I’ve got a heightened awareness of the power they both have to inspire and comfort during this new (ab)normal pace of life. For the last month as I’ve gazed out the window watching birds and squirrels, or taken solitary walks in my neighborhood tracing the origin and ending of a creek that runs through it, I’ve watched God’s annual re-creation we call spring unfold like one of those flipbook animations. Subtle progressions greet me daily: a new bud here, a flash of color there, wild babies, birdsongs, earthen scents, solar warmth. Recurring companions I’ve been meditating with have been a quiet tune by Tom Waits called “You Can Never Hold Back Spring,” and Luke 12:22 – 31 (don’t be anxious, consider the lilies…). Perhaps an odd pairing, but these are odd times:
You can never hold back spring / You can be sure that I will never stop believing
The blushing rose will climb / Spring ahead or fall behind
Winter dreams the same dream every time / You can never hold back spring
Even though you've lost your way / The world keeps dreaming, dreaming of spring
So close your eyes, open you heart / To the one who's dreaming of you
You can never hold back spring / Remember everything that spring can bring
You can never hold back spring…
Tom Waits, from Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, 2006
“Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! … 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,[b] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”
Luke 12: 22-24, 27-31, ESV
Our world is a strange and wonderful place. For those of you that enjoy compilations and lists like I do, here are some further observations, both natural and musical, from my Attention-Collecting-Self-Isolation, Spring 2020 Edition:
- I saw two cardinals kiss the other day! It happened under a tulip in bloom – call it April mistletoe. Their bills clicked with a tiny sound like a toothpick snapping. Then I saw it happen again on the fencepost a few days later. Who knew avian mating rituals could be such a dopamine hit.
- My daughter and I were on a walk and saw a squirrel scurry up a tree with a 6-inch diameter pancake hanging out of his mouth. Our startling presence made him drop most of it, but I’m sure he went back for it later.
- My daughters got recorders in their Easter baskets this year. Of course they quickly learned to play the proverbial recorder jam, "Hot Cross Buns." While they played a duet of the tune, I was outside puttering around the yard and heard a mockingbird tweeting the tune! Mockingbirds are known for mimicking other birds' songs, and the occasional car alarm sound, but I've never heard one sing "Hot Cross Buns."
- A robin kept flying into our garage scoping out nesting places. I closed the overhead door every evening and she’d sit on the fencepost watching me with either confusion or disdain. So she’d changed course and is actively constructing one our electric panel box outside the kitchen window. We’ll leave this one be and see if we get any babies in a few weeks.
- A pair of likely migrating water birds (herons, cranes, egrets – we can’t be sure) landed in our neighbor’s backyard this morning. Good thing their Great Pyrenees wasn’t outside at the time.
- You’ve likely seen colorful sidewalk chalk art and games from kids in your neighborhood, but have you seen a woman walking a dog jump a hopscotch course without missing a beat? Happened in the 2500 block of Hillbrook Dr, Hikes Point.
- Also inspired by spring, Louisville singer-songwriter Joan Shelley has been busy writing and recording in self-isolation. Check out these new singles, “Blue Skies” and “Between Rock & Sky.” Spare $2 and download them if you can. Touring artists’ income has ground to a halt this spring, and the summer is in question as well.
- Strange times can provide beautiful opportunities. Chance The Rapper read Matthew 11:28 on national television the other day (Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” NLT). He’s open about his faith, so a public recitation from him isn’t a surprise, but the kicker is that Late Show host Stephen Colbert asked him to.
- Here’s an oddity: After nearly 60 years of legendary recordings, Bob Dylan finally scored his first (gasp!) Billboard #1 hit single last week. No, it wasn’t an anniversary re-issue of “Like a Rolling Stone” or “Blowing in the Wind.” It was a surprise-released 17-minute murder ballad called “Murder Most Foul” about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It’s a mesmerizing, meandering opus that references over 70 other songs, prompting NPR Music to compile a playlist of them.
- Finally friends, we lost two of our best songwriters in the last month, Bill Withers from heart disease (age 81), and John Prine from complications from COVID-19 (age 73). True American treasures, both men were more in tune with the beauty and hilarity, loveliness and ugliness, and joy and sorrow of humanity than most writers that ever dared tell a story. There’s a plethora of tributes, past concert footage, and music to hear online from both artists, so enjoy that virtual rabbit hole if you so choose.
- While no man is perfect apart from Jesus, is there such a thing as a “perfect” song? Yes there is. Also, here's a great mini set by Bill Withers recorded in 1972.
- Lastly, here's a lovely remembrance of John Prine from Pitchfork, along with a few classic live videos, particularly "Hello In There" and "Bruised Orange."