MINDLESS MUSINGS

“This city desert makes you feel so cold.

It’s got so many people, but it’s got no soul

And it’s taken you so long to find out you were wrong

When you thought it held everything”

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Here you have a choice. Relish the lyrics as they are; or read my subjective interpretation.

The fact that I will use so many words attempting to capture what the songwriter captured in so few should help with your decision.

The magic is all there in four lines.

The following is my experience when I hear these lyrics and that itself changes over time.

I have wanted to find a way to plug this into a post since I very first began. It never seemed to fit, so here it is. Gerry Rafferty’s lament over the fading façade of the big city. Almost like a reply to songs in the vein of “New York, New York” that sell the fantasy of endless opportunity among the bright lights.

New York, Hollywood. Anywhere that’s not this shitty little town in the middle of nowhere or this endless suburban landscape of mediocrity. Gunna get my ass to metropolis and stake my claim! Become a big shot: fame, fortune, success!

People flock to these melting pots with all manner of aspirations, but whatever the specific goal may be in (showbiz, business, politics) the wish is the same – happiness! Many will get chewed up and spat out. Most will fall into some kind of groove and eek out an existence. Some will find love and/or joy living a modest life with a decent income and home. Very few will “make it”, whatever the fuck that means anyway.

The person in this song does not seem to be scaling the lofty heights of their chosen destination. If success was the penthouse, they appear to be toiling away in the dingy lobby. Not necessarily the underbelly, but very fucken far from the glitz and glamour of their dreams. At this point they would be happy to get a room on the first floor.

Surrounded by countless others coming to terms with a similar rude awakening. All that crushed ambition shuffling along on grimy streets looking longingly up at the lights in the luxurious apartment buildings. Those ‘winners’ ride high on the backs of the never-ending supply of wannabes streaming into the city every day.

Yeah, it’s a bummer, but what an awesome four lines. 36 words hit the target dead centre! I just spent 266 writing my clunky attempt at laying out some kind of explanation about how those words hit me and I could write more and still never capture the poignancy it stirs. So I will stop here.