So…the other day, I had a revelation. On my other blog, Cornflakes and Classics (how’s that for shameless promotion?), I recently posted my poem Emilie. As I was publishing the poem, it dawned on me that perhaps that signified one degree of separation…I have a poem called Emilie…and the boys have a song called Emily. It only took me 14 years to realize that, but, hey, “in my thick skull the joker hides.”
Anyway, I’ve always liked this song, and I’ve been intending to write about it. I just didn’t have the lead-in. And there you go.
Emily is one of those truly sweet songs, with Bernie’s words painting such a vivid picture that you feel like you’re watching a movie:
Emily prays to a faded hero
In a little frame clutched to her gown
Hears the voice of promise in his memory
Tonight’s the night they let the ladder down
In a cage sits a gold canary
By a wicker chair and a rosewood loom
As a soul ascends aboard the evening
Canary sings to an empty room
When I hear this song, I can’t help but think of my Dad and the 9 months he lived after my stepmother died. He missed her so much, along with the family and friends that had passed before them. I was able to be there when “they let the ladder down” for him, as were my sisters and brother. At least he wasn’t alone like Emily.
And Emily they come and go
The shadows and the distant sounds
But Emily don’t be afraid
When the weight of angels weighs you down
Lovely.
[I am not worthy, I am not worthy]
If I have one complaint, it’s that I would have chosen a different word than “”weighs” you down. imho.
[I am not worthy, I am not worthy]
Oh, yes, and the music ain’t bad, either. Love the haunting guitar, the piano interlude and (of course) Elton’s voice.
Emily (The One – 1992)
The Captain and the Kim 