Arguably one of my favorite lines…(I have a lot of those, don’t I)?! From the song Curtains, a melancholy piece from Captain Fantastic…meandering through some beautiful imagery and culminating in that masterpiece of a line.
When I first heard this song, I thought Bernie was foreshadowing the end of the Elton/Bernie partnership. Perhaps he was. They did subsequently collaborate on Rock of the Westies and Blue Moves, but then went their separate ways for a while. Thank goodness they found their way back to each other! Two rooms at the end of the world (but that’s another blog post).
It’s not a long song, so bear with me as I share the full lyrics:
I used to know this old scarecrow
He was my song, my joy and sorrow
Cast alone between the furrows
Of a field no longer sown by anyone
He was my song, my joy and sorrow
Cast alone between the furrows
Of a field no longer sown by anyone
I held a dandelion
That said the time had come
To leave upon the wind
Not to return
When summer burned the earth again
That said the time had come
To leave upon the wind
Not to return
When summer burned the earth again
Cultivate the freshest flower
This garden ever grew
Beneath these branches
I once wrote such childish words for you
This garden ever grew
Beneath these branches
I once wrote such childish words for you
No, no, no, no, no…never childish, always honest…
And my favorite part…
But that’s okay
There’s treasure children always seek to find
And just like us
You must have had
A once upon a time
There’s treasure children always seek to find
And just like us
You must have had
A once upon a time
Can you imagine being Elton and Bernie and thinking about their “once upon a time?”
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I love the vocals…and there’s also some killer drum sequences at the end (you go, Nigel)!
Curtains (Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy – 1975)
The Captain and the Kim 