The Little Red Blog

Sunday Sermon: "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)

When you’re weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
I’m on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you’re down and out
When you’re on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
I’ll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on, silvergirl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
If you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

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© 1969 Words and Music by Paul Simon

Bridge Over Troubled Water - The Paul Simon Official Site

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“Words and Music by Paul Simon,” to be sure, but this is Art Garfunkel’s masterpiece:

Studio original: Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Audio)

Live 1969: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Live at Carnegie Hall, NYC, NY - November 27, 1969 - Audio)

Live in Central Park: Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water (Restored - from The Concert in Central Park)

Sunday Sermon: "Blowin' in the Wind"

Blowin’ in the Wind

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind

Yes, and how many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
And how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind

Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
And how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind

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Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Bob Dylan

Blowin' In The Wind lyrics © Special Rider Music, Universal Tunes

Take your pick:

Live from the Rolling Thunder Revue: Joan Baez & Bob Dylan - Blowing In The Wind (youtube.com)

Protest has never sounded so pretty:  Blowin' In The Wind (Bob Dylan Cover) by Jessica Rhaye and the Ramshackle Parade (youtube.com)

Trust me, this is unbelievable: ♫ Bee Gees ♥ Blowin' In The Wind ♫ (youtube.com)

Bringing it all back home: Johnny Cash - Blowin' in the Wind [1993] (youtube.com)

Sunday Sermon: "The Circle Game"

The Circle Game (by Joni Mitchell)

Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star

Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like when you're older must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him take your time it won't be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

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© March 22, 1966; R. Joan Mitchell, then August 22, 1966; Gandalf Pub Co

Joni Mitchell - The Circle Game (Official Audio) (youtube.com)

PS22 Chorus "CIRCLE GAME" Joni Mitchell (youtube.com)

Sunday Sermon: "Volunteers"

{In retrospect and with hindsight, I believe we can safely say that these were the people our parents warned us against. Thank God we didn't listen!}

Volunteers (by the Jefferson Airplane)

Look what's happening out in the streets
Got a revolution, got to revolution
Hey, I'm dancing down the streets
Got a revolution, got to revolution
Ain't it amazing all the people I meet?
Got a revolution, got to revolution

One generation got old
One generation got soul
This generation got no destination to hold
Pick up the cry

Hey, now it's time for you and me
Got a revolution, got to revolution
Come on, now we're marching to the sea
Got a revolution, got to revolution

Who will take it from you?
We will and who are we?

We are volunteers of America
Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America

Got a revolution
Whoa, got a revolution

Look what's happening out in the streets
Got a revolution, got to revolution
Hey, I'm dancing down the streets
Got a revolution, got to revolution
Ain't it amazing all the people I meet?
Got a revolution

We are volunteers of America
We are volunteers of America
We are volunteers of America
Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Marty Balin / Paul L. Kantner

Volunteers lyrics © Icebag Corp., Montclare Music Co.ltd, Icebag Corp

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Studio: Volunteers (Remastered) (youtube.com)

Live at Woodstock 1969: (31) Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers (1969 Woodstock) 4k upscale, 60fps - YouTube

Sunday Sermon: "Goin' Back"

Goin’ Back (Carole King & Gerry Goffin)

I think I'm goin' back
To the things I learned so well in my youth
I think I'm returning to
The days when I was young enough to know the truth

Now there are no games to only pass the time
No more electric trains, no more trees to climb
Thinking young and growing older is no sin
And I can play the game of life to win

I can recall a time
When I wasn't ashamed to reach out to a friend
Now I think I've got
A lot more than just my toys to lend

Now there's more to do than watch my sailboat glide
And every day can be my magic carpet ride
A little bit of freedom is all we lack
So catch me if you can, I'm goin' back

A little bit of courage is all we lack
So catch me if you can, I'm goin' back
Goin' back

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Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Carole King / Gerry Goffin

Goin’ Back lyrics © Screen Gems-emi Music Inc.

Let it not be forgotten that, of all the great songwriters from the Sixties, Carole King was as good as any of them and better than most.

Carole King - Wikipedia

Take your pick:

Goin' Back - Carole King (youtube.com)

The Byrds - Going Back (youtube.com)

Echo In The Canyon (Jakob Dylan and Beck) - Goin' Back (youtube.com)

Nils Lofgren - Goin' Back (Night After Night - 1977) (youtube.com)

(24) Chrissie Hynde ''Goin' Back'' - YouTube

Dusty Springfield - Goin' Back. (youtube.com)

Sunday Sermon: "5D"

5D (by The Byrds)

Oh, how is it that I could come out to here
And be still floatin'
And never hit bottom and keep falling through
Just relaxed and paying attention?

All my two-dimensional boundaries were gone
I had lost to them badly
I saw that world crumble and thought I was dead
But I found my senses still working

And as I continued to drop through the hole
I found all surrounding
To show me that joy innocently is
Just be quiet and feel it around you

And I opened my heart to the whole universe
And I found it was lovin'
And I saw the great blunder my teachers had made
Scientific delirium madness

I will keep falling as long as I live
Ah, without ending
And I will remember the place that is now
That has ended before the beginning

Oh, how is it that I could come out to here
And be still floatin'
And never hit bottom and keep falling through
Just relaxed and paying attention?

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Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Roger James McGuinn

5D (Fifth Dimension) lyrics © Reservoir 416, Mcguinn Music, Mc Guinn Music

The Byrds - 5D (Fifth Dimension) (Audio) (youtube.com)

Roger McGuinn live version: 5D (Fifth Dimension) (Live) (youtube.com)

Sunday Sermon: "The House Unamerican Blues Activity Dream"

{This song was written by Mimi and Richard Farina (biographical links below) in 1965. The House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) still existed at that time; it was mercifully terminated in 1975.}

House of Unamerican Blues Activity Dream

I was standing on the sidewalk, had a noise in my head
There were loudspeakers babbling, but nothing was said
There were twenty-seven companies of female Marines
There were presidential candidates in new Levi jeans
It was the red, white and blue planning how to endure
The fife, drum and bugle marching down on the poor
God bless America, without any doubt
And I figured it was time to get out

Well, I have to b'lieve that in-between scenes, good people
Went and got 'em done in the sun, good people
Tourist information said to get on the stick
You ain't moving 'til you're grooving with a Cubana chick
So I hopped on a plane, I took a pill for my brain
And I discovered I was feeling all right
When I strolled down the Prado, people looked at me weird
Who's that hippy, hoppy character without any beard?
Drinking juice from papayas, singing songs to the trees
Dancing mambo on the beaches, spreading social disease

Now the Castro convertible was changing the style
A whole lot of action on a blockaded isle
When along come a summons in the middle of night
Saying, "Buddy, we're about to indict"

When I went up on the stand with my hand, good people
You've got to tell the truth in the booth, good people
Started out with information kind of remote
When a patriotic mother dragged me down by the throat
"When they ask you a question, they expect a reply!"
Doesn't matter if you're fixin' to die

Well, I was lying there unconscious, feeling kind of exempt
When the judge said that silence was a sign of contempt
He took out his gavel, banged me hard on the head
He fined me ten years in prison and a whole lot of bread
It was the red, white and blue making war on the poor
Blind mother Justice on a pile of manure
Say your prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance every night
And tomorrow you'll be feeling all right
Uh-huh-huh

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Mimi Fariña - Wikipedia

Richard Fariña - Wikipedia

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Cover version by Iain Matthews:

House of Unamerican Blues Activity Dream (youtube.com)

It may have been Iain Matthews’ misfortune to have been part of the groundbreaking British folk-rock group, Fairport Convention, where he was overshadowed by the vocals of Sandy Denny and the extraordinary guitar work of Richard Thompson. After leaving the band, Matthews made numerous solo albums (e.g., "Tigers Will Survive"), formed groups (e.g., Matthews Southern Comfort and Plainsong), and kept on making great music while gaining little recognition. Though he composed many of his own songs, he excelled at cover versions: this one, of course, and also the Matthews Southern Comfort version of “Woodstock”. Matthews also deserves credit for having created an entire album about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart (Plainsong, “In Search of Amelia Earhart”), an album which included his rendition of "I'll Fly Away".

Say what you will about HUAC, it kept us safe from the likes of Dalton Trumbo...

Sunday Sermon: "Holiday"

{Welcome to 1967! This early song from the Bee Gees raises many questions--for instance, who was the mysterious ‘puppet’? What was the point of throwing stones or of the narrator asking for a pillow to be put on his head? The chorus ‘De de de de de de de, de de de de’ perfectly sums up the song's significance.}

Holiday (by the Bee Gees)

Ooh you're a holiday
Such a holiday
Ooh you're a holiday
Such a holiday

It's something I thinks worthwhile
If the puppet makes you smile
If not then you're throwing stones
Throwing stones, throwing stones

Ooh it's a funny game
Don't believe that it's all the same
Can't think what I've just said
Put the soft pillow on my head

Millions of eyes can see
Yet why am I so blind
When the someone else is me
It's unkind, it's unkind

De de de de de de de de, de de de
De de de de de de de de de de de

Yet millions of eyes can see
Yet why am I so blind
When the someone else is me
It's unkind, it's unkind

Ooh you're a holiday
Every day, such a holiday
Now it's my turn to say
And I say you're a holiday

It's something I think's worthwhile
If the puppet makes you smile
If not then you're throwing stones
Throwing stones, throwing stones

De de de de de de de de, de de de
De de de de de de de de, de

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Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Robin Hugh Gibb / Barry Alan Gibb

Holiday lyrics © Crompton Songs, Redbreast Publishing Ltd.

The pathos of this video speaks for itself: Bee Gees Holiday 1967) [High Quality Stereo Sound, Subtitled] (youtube.com)

Sunday Sermon: "Revolution Blues"

{In which Neil Young channels his inner Charles Manson to paint a grim portrait of America circa 1968-1973. I consider this a helpful reminder that widespread madness and rage are nothing new in this country, and that a lot of Americans believe they are revolutionaries just waiting for their moment.}

Revolution Blues (by Neil Young)

Well, we live in a trailer at the edge of town
You never see us 'cause we don't come around
We got twenty-five rifles just to keep the population down

But we need you now
That's why I'm hangin' 'round

So you be good to me and I'll be good to you
And in this land of conditions I'm not above suspicion
I won't attack you, but I won't back you

Well, it's so good to be here, asleep on your lawn
Remember your guard dog?
Well, I'm afraid that he's gone
It was such a drag to hear him whining all night long

Yes, that was me with the doves, setting them free near the factory
Where you built your computer, love
I hope you get the connection, 'cause I can't take the rejection
I won't deceive you, I just don't believe you

Well, I'm a barrel of laughs, with my carbine on
I keep 'em hoppin', till my ammunition's gone
But I'm still not happy
I feel like there's something wrong

I got the revolution blues, I see bloody fountains
And ten million dune buggies comin' down the mountains
Well, I hear that Laurel Canyon is full of famous stars
But I hate them worse than lepers and I'll kill them in their cars

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Source: Musixmatch

Studio original: Neil Young Revolution Blues with Lyrics in Description (youtube.com) (from On the Beach)

Frantic cover version by the Waco Brothers: Revolution Blues (youtube.com)

Sunday Sermon: Scarborough Fair

Scarborough Fair

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(On the side of a hill, in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground)
Without no seams nor needle work
(Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)

Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strands
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she'll be a true love of mine

Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
(War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)
Then she'll be a true love of mine

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

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Traditional: Scarborough Fair (ballad) - Wikipedia

Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Audio) (youtube.com)

Scarborough Fair | The Hound + The Fox (youtube.com)