Monday, June 11, 2012

Be a Man....but be a Simple Man.....

A wise young lady (Annie) gave me a cool line recently "Music is what feelings sound like ... "
 
I've used music & lyrics to explain away everything from the weather ..... "who'll stop the rain?" .... to helping an argumentative teenager deal with a parent "you don't have to go it alone" ... to my daily plight ... "I can't get no satisfaction" .
 
Mags and I used music lyrics to create cool recipes in the kitchen and when brainstorming about recipe titles we were unable to shut off the "creative hysteria" as we called it. Once we got started the song titles never ended and, depending on how late in the evening, the titles got more outrageous (ie: Tina Tuna Casserole)  I've printed song lyrics & framed them for newlyweds and as gifts for loved ones. Lyrics are simply poetry put to music. 
 
Today I'd like to share some great lyrics with my sons as a father's day tribute to them.  My guys are now 19 and 17 and it's quite common for them to completely ignore anything that comes out of my mouth and almost all other adults. They are terrific kids and I'm so proud of them and their accomplishments.  One day they might be fathers and they'll get to experience the joys & struggles of being a parent.  Hopefully they'll use all of the tools available to them to seek guidance and wisdom.  I'm sharing some lyrics from "Simple Man", a song written by Ronnie Van Zant & Gary Rossington, a couple of boys in a band named Lynyrd Skynyrd. It's their true account of what their grandma and mama told them and it's one of my favorite Skynyrd ditties.  The Skynyrd boys were very proud of the words those women gave them and I think those wise mothers wanted their loved ones to cut through the crap in life and just be true to themselves by being honest, respectful and trustworthy. 
 
"Mama told me, when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely, to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day
 
Oh take your time, don't live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
Go find a woman and you'll find love
And don't forget son, there is someone up above
 
And be a simple kind of man
Oh be somethin' you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh won't you do this for me son, if you can?
 
Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul
And you can do this if you try
All that I want for you my son, is to be satisfied
 
Boy don't you worry, you'll find yourself
Follow your heart and nothing else
And you can do this, oh babe, if you try
All that I want for you my son, is to be satisfied"
 
 
Moms today struggle with trying to transition boys into men. We obviously don't share the same genetic chemistry and we interpret the "male presence" in society differently than our counterparts. Positively and negatively. Mothers can be effective in guiding our young men by simply keeping things in perspective (the big picture), don't lean too far from the middle of the road, always be there for them & tell them you love them-no matter what.  I encourage all of my mother-sisters to hang in there and don't give up on these Future Fathers of America. Their potential is beyond the limits of our universe.....
 
 
And I want to wish my Daddy-O a Happy Father's Day. This one's from the year you became a dad....enjoy!
 
 
Don't miss these upcoming blogposts:
 
My addiction to song lyrics continues with a lesson about Vampire Weekend
 
A Dogblog with ramblings about training our weiner dog for the weiner dog races....along with a cool recipe for Little Piggies in a Blanket....
 
 Peace & Rock & Roll,
 
Lanea Stagg
Recipe Records
 
 

1 comment:

Katy B said...

Love, love, love it! I'd never thought of that song as inspirational (just some ol' honk) until now.