52 Songs, Week 15: "Bookends/Old Friends" by Simon & Garfunkel

I suppose it is a time of nostalgia and reflection. 

Long ago, it must be... I have a photograph.  Prison your memories; they're all that's left you.

That's what I remember, when in the age of junior high, I first heard this song.  I always heard it as "preserve" instead of "prison"... which is what we do with photographs and journals and keepsakes of years gone by.  Looking this up tonight, I suppose it does, in some ways, imprison a certain version of what we remember.

Can you imagine us years from today
Sharing a park bench quietly
How terribly strange to be 70...

I'm more than halfway there, and able now to recognize the loneliness inherent in this statement.  I hope I have a friend to share a park bench with at 70. 

52 Songs, Week 14: "The Christians and the Pagans" by Dar Williams

It's that time of year, boys and girls!  Holiday season!

Many years ago - 1997? - I was driving along in my car and tuned my mind into these crazy lyrics:

"So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able
And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said
Sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses"

Goddesses?  My pagan ears perked up.  What kind of song was this?

Bless you KMTT of incarnations past for pushing the envelope, for being willing to provoke, for being willing to promote artists we didn't hear anywhere else.  That song is a holiday classic now, or at least it was until they gutted the station. 

Bless you Dar Williams for writing a song about the commonality of the Christmas holiday, which is sooooo very pagan at its core.  There's room for all of us around the celebration table.

Amber called her uncle, said "We're up here for the holiday
Jane and I were having Solstice, now we need a place to stay"
And her Christ-loving uncle watched his wife hang Mary on a tree
He watched his son hang candy canes all made with red dye number three
He told his niece, "It's Christmas eve, I know our life is not your style"
She said, "Christmas is like Solstice, and we miss you and it's been awhile"

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able
And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said
Sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses

The food was great, the tree plugged in, the meal had gone without a hitch
Till Timmy turned to Amber and said, "Is it true that you're a witch?"
His mom jumped up and said, "The pies are burning," and she hit the kitchen
And it was Jane who spoke, she said, "It's true, your cousin's not a Christian"
"But we love trees, we love the snow, the friends we have, the world we share
And you find magic from your God, and we find magic everywhere"

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able
And where does magic come from, I think magic's in the learning
Cause now when Christians sit with Pagans only pumpkin pies are burning

When Amber tried to do the dishes, her aunt said, "Really, no, don't bother"
Amber's uncle saw how Amber looked like Tim and like her father
He thought about his brother, how they hadn't spoken in a year
He thought he'd call him up and say, "It's Christmas and your daughter's here"
He thought of fathers, sons and brothers, saw his own son tug his sleeve saying
"Can I be a Pagan?"  Dad said, "We'll discuss it when they leave"

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able
Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old, and
Making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x1o41DHGZI&feature=related