This Sunday, it's time for some classic country! I've wanted to blog Henson Cargill's SKIP A ROPE for a long time. However, I knew if I did, yall would expect an explanation and I didn't know if I was ready for that.
The short version: This was my grandfather's favorite song.
The long version: When I first heard it, I was 10 years old and living in his house. I was the child skipping the rope. I was the one under his bedroom window with my friends, singing our jump-rope rhymes. For this reason, the song scared me. It seemed to be about us, and our games: Ain't it kinda funny what the children say?
It meant adults could figure out things about you, that you couldn't figure out yourself. It meant they'd paid attention when you thought they weren't.
It also meant that, yes, things were as bad as I thought they were. Daddy hates mommy, mommy hates dad/Last night you shoulda heard the fight they had. I certainly didn't like hearing our sordid domestic truths right out loud like that. We were trying to keep it all a secret. But someone had written a song about it! (How did they know?--I remember thinking.)
When I recently heard the song, I was overcome with emotion, remembering my wise and quiet grandfather (deceased 22 years now), who endured so very much in his life. And I was also overcome with love for the song; this modest old country tune that told the simple truth. I realize now, how much the song was like him: understated, plain-spoken, humble, yet somehow wistful for how things could be, if we'd just rise above the general chaos and banality. But we don't, do we?
What was that they said about the golden rule?
~*~
Enjoy, and have a thoughtful, truth-telling sabbath.
Henson Cargill - Skip A Rope