Sunday Afternoon

So there I was yesterday afternoon, quietly enduring a relapse of a medical problem. What should I do -- perhaps write a post re the markets and their current setups and patterns? But, no, not that, as I await your perceptions before I offer my own. (Hurry!)

Instead, I found myself listening once again to the phenomenally talented Rachael Yamagata. You likely recall her massively popular single, Worn Me Down, from her first CD, Happenstance. From then to now, Rachael only improved her talent; her song, Sunday Afternoon (from her new CD, Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart), provides ample proof...

Sunday Afternoon

It’s a choice to stay
It’s a dream and I want to wake
You have blood on your hands
And I’m feeling faint
And honey, you can’t decide

I’m a drug you don’t wanna give up
Smoke your cigarette, make your love
You pour blood in my heart, I can’t get enough
I’m drowning and you can’t decide

It’s not about geography or happenstance
Your need to fly and take a chance
Your need to shine to emptiness
And float on high and forever dance alone
Your scared cuz I feel like home

I hear your voice
I knew right away
If you were here
What your eyes would say
I have blood on my feet
As I walk away
The rivers are red
It’s starting to rain
I’m not gonna live for you or die for you or do anything anymore for you
Cuz you leave me here on the other side
You leave me here on the other side
I won’t live for you or die for you or do anything anymore for you
Cuz you leave me here on the other side
You leave me here on the other side
I won’t live for you or die for you, do anything anymore for you
Cuz you leave me here on the other side
You leave me here on the other side
I won’t live for you, or die for you, or do anything anymore for you…

I’m not gonna shed one more tear for you
Shed one more tear for you
I’m not gonna shed one more tear for you
At least not till Sunday afternoon
Sunday afternoon…

Appreciation of music can fall on deaf ears; it need not follow that you like what I like. Nonetheless, everyone who appreciates music can appreciate talent, and Sunday Afternoon showcases Rachael's talent in klieg lights; its composition, arrangements, phrasing, and lyrics. (Many people, artists included, know how to 'open' a metaphor, but not how to 'close' same. Rachael does it brilliantly with her lyrics, "You have blood on your hands ... I have blood on my feet...") And then comes that killer final stanza with its haunting seque (lyrics and music). What a changeup! My sister says of this song (and video),

"I have watched several of her videos because I can't get enough of her music. I continue to be amazed at the power of her voice and her lyrics that come from a woman who looks like an innocent little girl."

Yep. Enjoy.

-- David M Gordon / The Deipnosophist