Thursday, September 29, 2011

Haunted Pandora

This is my Pandora Grace Internet radio.  It's connected wirelessly to my modem and can play any of my Pandora stations.  I used to go to sleep listening to it; I still do when Cliff stays up later than I.  I go to bed, fiddle with the "sleep" button, which is now set for thirty minutes, and drift off to dreamland listening to a variety of folk artists.  I have other stations, but I almost always choose the folk.  
If Cliff somes into the bedroom, you can bet Bob Dylan will start singing, or somebody else who sounds a lot like Bob Dylan.  Weird. 
Cliff hates Bob Dylan.  
Evidently, in fiddling with the buttons and knobs on the radio, I must sometimes set the wake alarm accidentally.  Because we'll be going about the usual routines of the morning and suddenly folk music wafts from the bedroom.  I go turn it off; in five or ten minutes, it turns on again... snooze alarm, maybe?  And this scenario will repeat itself two or three times.  Weird.    
Whatever it is, I don't deliberately set any sort of alarm to wake me.  We're retired, and anyhow I'm doing well to sleep past five A.M.  
If Cliff goes into the bedroom when the radio is freakishly playing, chances are Bob Dylan will be singing.  Once in awhile it's John Prine; Cliff isn't fond of him, either.  It's all "caterwauling" to him.  This morning Bob was singing "Oxford Town", which tells the true story of a college that wouldn't admit black people.  That's what I love about folk music:  the stories.  
Now, out of this very clear (to my mind) set of words Bob was singing, all Cliff picked up was, "What do you think about that, my friend?"
And Cliff assumed Bob was asking him how he felt about his singing, and laughed uproariously.  I went in and quoted the whole verse to him and explained what it was about.  I think he was surprised that Bob Dylan was actually singing some words that made sense, because I'm the first to admit that not all of his songs do.     


Oxford Town, Oxford Town
Ev'rybody's got their hats bowed down
The sun don't shine above the ground
Ain't a-goin' down to Oxford Town.

He went down to Oxford Town
Guns and clubs followed him down
All because his face was brown
Better get away from Oxford Town.

Oxford Town around the bend
He comes to the door, he couldn't get in
All because of the color of his skin
What do you think about that, my frien' ?

Me and my gal, my gal's son
We got met with a tear gas bomb
I don't even know why we come
Goin' back where we come from.

Oxford Town in the afternoon
Ev'rybody singin' a sorrowful tune
Two men died 'neath the Mississippi moon
Somebody better investigate soon.



Maybe if these folks had been singing the song Bob wrote, Cliff would have enjoyed it more.


9 comments:

  1. So true about Bob Dylan...ya wonder what he was smokin' on some songs but I still love his music.

    Thanks for the video...totally enjoyed it.

    God bless and have a terrific Thursday sweetie!!!

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  2. I opened an e-mail from you today and it was some medical place. I quickly closed it as I figured you had been hacked. Doesn't that make you mad?! Also got something from Google from you but couldn't seem to get the message so maybe it's just as well. I'm getting tons of spam in my junk box the last few months so must call roadrunner and see what they can do about it (if they so choose)! I have a love/hate relationship with them! ha!

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  3. Just got your comment. Yes, I took a little bloggy break. This construction stuff drove me nuts all summer and my computer desk is right in the middle of it all. Glad to hear that there is another PW episode, and I, like you enjoy the ranch stuff the best!

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  4. I am going to buy myself a nook in nov. when the high electric bills are past. I love ebooks.

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  5. I got an e-mail from you today too with an address to click on. I didn't since you had never e-mailed me that I remember.

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  6. I don't want to know about Grace. I don't want to write about AOL's refusal to leave me alone, their demanding payment for a service I do not use.
    I want to see Cliff's very shy finished 1855 Oliver's pictures!!!!!

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  7. You gotta admit that girl is easier on the eyes than Bob ever was. And a tad easier to understand. He always did kind of mumble.

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  8. I've never been a Dylan fan myself. But this song is good.

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  9. I just added "Nashville Skyline" to my Amazon wish list earlier this week. I've got it on vinyl but no longer have a turntable. I love Dylan and have quite a few albums from the 60/70's.

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