Let me invoke the brilliance of the Talking Heads here.
Let me remember the elementary school days of “getting ready for company” which meant my parents’ friends were coming over to have a party. I was the designated candle-lighter, old enough to be in charge of fire, in some small capacity. I walked the house, finding the votives, tilting the candles, making flame. Purpose, personified.
Let me tell you about the house, because we have nothing but time. Open the front door, walk in. Early 80s A-frame-ish three-bedroom, dark-stained wooden beams that could give you splinters. Tall ceiling, open stairs, a loft that looked over the living room. A moon-like globe lamp that hung over the stairs, dimmable (like ours in the girls’ room now). Take a turn to the right, that’s the kitchen. It’s got shutters that you can lift up and down that later turn into bamboo blinds that you can pull a cord to raise and lower. There’s a kitchen table, folding wooden chairs, one of which has made it all the way here to Brooklyn somehow. Funny linoleum, I’ll draw it for you. Butcher block aroudn which everyone at the party stands. My mom, laughing, drinking white wine. You hear it? [I’m just an animal looking for a home/And share the same place for a minute or two.] I love this moment. I’m not in charge (of anything but the candles and going to bed at a slightly later time than normal). From my bedroom (through the living room and to the right) I can listen to the grownups knowing much more than us kids. I can rollerskate in the garage til late, warmed by the space heater glowing red in the corner of the empty space. I circle in my skates on the smooth garage floor. Can you see me?
Let me protect my own kids from the bullshit of worry. Let me be fun and silly and talk softer and let them make messes in this one-bedroom apartment. Let me look at the sky tomorrow, no rain?, and breathe deep. Let me get up tomorrow morning and boil the water, make the coffee, have the whole day, and later, wipe down all the high-touch surfaces with disinfectant wipes, long after they’ve gone to bed.
And you may find yourself
Living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself
In another part of the world
And you may find yourself
Behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house
With a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Water dissolving and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!
Water dissolving and water removing
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again into silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
You may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
You may ask yourself
Where does that highway go to?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? Am I wrong?
And you may say yourself
“My God! What have I done?”
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Look where my hand was
Time isn’t holding up
Time isn’t after us
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Letting the days go by
Same as it ever was
And here the twister comes
Here comes the twister
Letting the days go by (same as it ever was)
Same as it ever was (same as it ever was)
Letting the days go by (same as it ever was)
Same as it ever was
Once in a lifetime
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by