Billy Bragg and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy alternated lead vocals on Mermaid Avenue; the iconic album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie. Today’s song At My Window Sad and Lonely was sung by Jeff Tweedy and it comes a year after I wrote about my favourite song from Mermaid Avenue – California Stars. More information about the album can be found in my previous articles inc. Birds and Ships (feat. Natalie Merchant). Guthrie’s recording career was more or less over by 1947, but his estate approached Billy Bragg in 1995 to set Woody’s handwritten, unrecorded lyrics to music.
As I write about today’s song At My Window Sad and Lonely, I draw parallels with my current disposition. I let the devil in the room yesterday; only momentarily but I’ve been paying for it since, and it has affected my sleep tonight. It was a nano second temptation, and it crossed my mind to entertain it which I was part way to fulfilling. Thankfully it didn’t come to fruition.
There’s a scantily known ballad by Springsteen called ‘With Every Wish‘ (comes a Curse). The older I get, the more this truism rings true. I’m wallowing in my Sad and Lonely state and wondering how the puppeteer (The Logos) can take charge again and empty me of these harmful desires.
At my window, sad and lonely
Oft times do I think of thee
Sad and lonely and I wonder
Do you ever think of me?
Every day is sad and lonely
And every night is sad and blue
Do you ever think of me, my darling
As you sail that ocean blue?
Will you find another sweetheart
In some far and distant land?
Sad and lonely, now I wonder
If our boat will ever land
Ships may ply the stormy oceans
And planes may fly the stormy sky
I’m sad and lonely, but remember
Oh I’ll love you till I die
Since the success of Mermaid Avenue (1998), a second and third volume of recordings were released, in 2000 and 2012 respectively. It culminated in Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions. A DVD containing the documentary Man in the Sand (1999), that functions as both a biography of Guthrie and a chronicle of the creation of Billy Bragg & Wilco’s Mermaid Avenue is included as a fourth disc. You can view the trailer of it here.
Throughout the film, Nora Lee Guthrie – the daughter of the legendary American folk musician narrates the story of her father’s life, while Bragg is seen traveling to various locations relevant to Woody Guthrie’s life, such as Okemah, Oklahoma (his hometown), Pampa, Texas (where he met his first wife), and New York City (where he made his home after leaving California).
Reference:
1. Mermaid Avenue – Wikipedia
2. Man in the Sand – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Sad song..
That it is Tom. Have a good Sunday
Hope you had a great weekend Matt…
Hi Tom, thanks for asking.
I took a nosedive this weekend of the worst sorts. Best to recharge and try again this week.
I hope your weekend was better than mine.
Sorry to hear that Matt. You are right recharge and try again. There are bound to be setbacks. Don’t let the setback define you. You have done a wonderful job. Stay strong and stubborn my friend. My weekend was pretty uneventful, which is good…
Thanks as usual for your encouraging words Tom. I’m outta money again, so I have nowhere to go but empty myself. We’ll see where that leads.
I know what you mean about how ‘being uneventful’ can be good.
Hang tough Matt! Things will improve. It’s a constant challenge.
Thanks buddy! You too.
We are tough..
Springsteen’s ‘Tougher than the Rest’ – what a fkn song, man
I’ve been stretched so thin last couple days Matt. A song or a poem sets me off. I’m close to caving. I do love this song 🎵 and I’m staying strong…..so far lol
Don’t cave because coming out is a wretched time (as I can well attest) and we are not as young as we used to be. Stay strong man.
I made it through. Now today I don’t even feel like it. Crazy times. Mixed up confusion.
Good stuff. Yeh, I don’t feel like it today also. Sweet!
But geez my body has turned to sh/t the last month or so. Got a doctor looking over blood test results tomorrow. Muscle strength – mass has disappeared. Maybe it’s an age thing combined with too many years on the sauce. Dunno.
Crazy how I can feel so different one moment to the next. I hope you’re blood tests are good. I am like you. Going to doctor next week. I feel listless, lethargic, run down, no energy or enthusiasm lol getting old and sober is very interesting.
Thanks for your concern. Based on my limited medical knowledge, I think the results seem reasonable, but there are a few weird /borderline ones which need a quack’s assessment.
I’m sorry to read about how you’ve been feeling Tom. I was feeling that way yesterday afternoon. ‘One moment to the next’ thing. This morning I made myself change my listless routine and went to the gym. I did a ‘trial’ gym work out today and it went pretty good. I’ll probably subscribe to a monthly membership. I’m also going to try to cut down on carbohydrates in my diet. The last time I did a ‘ketogenic diet’ (a couple of years ago) I felt awesome, so I’m going to try it again, but not so dogmatic this time.
Let me know how you get along mate.
It’s always something it seems. Especially getting older. The gym thing sounds like a good idea. Today was breakfast day lol once a week we meet. Dad, Brothers and an Uncle. That keeps me a little grounded. Good luck with the new diet Matt. Sometimes that makes a difference.
I can see how having a regular family catch-up would be good. I have my kids with me which always puts me in a great place. Thanks for your well wishes re. the diet. I already feel like I have more energy doing the 8 hour feed window (16 hr fast) and cutting out carbs.
It’s good. Keeps me a little grounded lol. That sounds like good diet. So you can eat for 8 hours, then fast for 16? Sounds interesting. I like that you have more energy!
Yeh, so yesterday I ate between 12pm and 8pm and you eat until you’re full, but not with carbs (sugars etc), rather ‘healthy fats’ (meat, eggs, avocada, nuts etc). And over time that feeding window gets smaller (since your body craves less) until I’ll probably only eat 1 principal meal a day – I hope.
I’m a bit worried about my younger daughter since she’s carrying around excess baggage and has a terrible diet. She just doesn’t eat well and plays less sports since she suddenly ‘did – away’ with her Tennis for reasons which remain unclear to me. Oh well.
That’s very interesting. I have the problem of being underweight. My whole life I’ve struggled to keep weight on. I eat and eat but really don’t gain pounds. I really could use an extra 20 pounds. It’s crazy how fast I burn calories. Doctors have tried to fatten me up. No success. I resigned myself to it years ago. Hope you find out about your daughter’s tennis Matt.
Although I’m not endocrinologist, it appears your metabolism is working well to say the least – if you’re eating well and the blood results are ok. My weight is optimal for my height, but I’d like to gain more muscle mass.
Tennis courses through my family’s veins, so yeh it would be nice to know what’s at the bottom of my daughter’s sudden aversion to it.
I have always been like this. Can’t buy a pound lol. I was on the Tennis team in High School. I really enjoyed it. Haven’t played in awhile. I haven’t been lately but I used to be a Golf fanatic. Older age slowing me down. Hope you get to the bottom of her aversion Matt. I can tell it troubles you. Good luck…
That’s strange mate. At least it’s better to be underweight than overweight. I used to play a bit of golf in Australia. I haven’t played in years. I now watch a lot of it on TV.
My daughter told me she doesn’t like practising Sports in groups or receiving coaching from anyone but me. I dunno
Yeah I would rather be skinny lol I like to watch on TV. Hope you figure it out. I feel sorry for kids these days. Seems so much different than when I was one!
I couldn’t agree more regarding kids growing up these days. Multi corporations (stakeholdership and social media) including the Press have f&/ked up families esp kids no end. As Jonathan Haidt has demonstrated kids are over coddled. If I didn’t have kids to look after here I’d be living off the grid with no mobile phone / internet.
Very true. I often think about going on the road. No social f..ng media internet or phone lol kids are turning out soft and uninformed. Scary..
Soft and uninformed…lol great description. I will not let my children become that.
You know what kids and even parents lack today? Basic common courtesies, manners and respect for others. When you lose that foundation, then the rest falls like Dóminos.
Exactly. I believe that is it. With no regard for anyone but themselves. I remember being respectful even if I disagreed when I was young. I know there are parents like you who teach that still. That is great Matt!
Yeh, I think that’s what it fundamentally is. It’s the little things. With the little things big things grow , but unfortunately the little things which make a society prosper (even to have a chance) are no longer considered important. Generation X and Y (Millennial) are to blame for this abhorrent parenting in my opinion.
I agree. I swear you could watch it happening. Little things add up. Until nothing is sacred. X Y are brainwashed. Self absorbed. It’s a sad tale. Like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
Yeh, Tom and the advent of Social media has only exacerbated the problem.
Social media is poison. I try to ignore it. Everytime I turn around I hear something an “influencer” said. I want to scream lol
I never did the FB thing, thank God and I mainly communicate here with a few close virtual friends like you. Very rarely chat on whatsapp except with family. Unfortunately Max from Nashville has taken time off and Bruce at ‘weave a web’ is very unwell atm. If you haven’t read Bruce’s short stories at ‘Weave a Web’, then you’re letting the best in life just pass you by hahaha. His latest about the Python is great. Check it out if you have time. Cheers.
I am the same. FB X instagram and the like are sewage. Ruining our youth. I enjoy this. Communicating with you and a few others is great. I am so happy I found this platform. It has helped me immensely. Keeping everything bottled up was killing me. You are a blessing Matt. When I checked out Max he is taking a break lol going to check out Weave a Web….
There’s a great quote from Daniel Schmachtenber‘ about all this stuff:
‘Porn and online dating is to intimate relationships what Facebook and Twitter is to tribal bonding’.
Same here Tom, I like this platform as well. Because of people like you I am able to express things especially about shared interests and battles I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to do. I’m glad it has helped you too.
I hope you like ‘Weave a Web’, but Bruce sadly is unwell.
Matt, I slipped up yesterday. Feeling guilty. Everything got to me. Found myself last night unable to stop. The Scotch won. Been a while. I was weak. I feel like crap this morning. I deserve to. Out of the blue. Thanks for listening to my woeful tale.
That sux mate. Sorry to read that. We are both in the quagmire then lol. I couldn’t picture myself losing to it again and finding myself back in the cave. It’s not pretty. I hope you are able to get past all of that today.
It’s easier now at this age to recover. I’m angry at myself but I got it out for awhile. Feeling peaceful today. No desire to drink. Like a lesson as long as I remember. But anything can set it off it seems.
I’m glad you were able to mark it off as a glitch and get back to harmonious living.
Yeah it’s crazy. It’s easier now. Haven’t even been tempted but Thanksgiving will be a test.
I read how crazy Thanksgiving can be over there. I hope they will be playing ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ on cable lol
I’m glad you haven’t even been tempted. I’ve been out of the cave 4 days. Picking up the kids today, so lots of activities in store. I hope you are strong enough to not give into temptations this TG. Cheers.
Thanks Matt. Yeah they go crazy here. Big meal tomorrow and lots of drinking lol. That movie is hilarious. Have a great time with the kids!
My daughter asked me what we are going to do today for TG. I have no oven or Turkey lol. May be hamburgers or a sandwich with avocado, cheese, ham, bacon and olives. Dunno. I have to wake the kiddies up since we have a big day of swimming and other sports lined up.
I wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving Tom. Cheers.
Hope you had a great one Matt. I had a really good one. I was weak though. I ate so much but I also drank. Everything turned out okay….being with family celebrating got me lol…
As long as you enjoyed it. I can see how the festivities won the day lol
Everything worked out. I actually had a great day. No time to think about a certain person lol…
That’s great man. I know what you mean about a certain person. Tat’s face is haunting. Man, did I f&@k that up.
Yeah it’s crazy. Why should I think about that person.
Meaningful!
I wish more people could find meaningfulness
I totally agree with you there Matt!
Me included lol