Plague Journal, The Last Walk/Waltz
There is a last time for everything. The first day of Fall was yesterday, September 22nd. I picked up my camera, earlier in the week with the intention of capturing a final collection of Summer flower photos from Almond Marsh. Summer ends and Fall begins. That’s a logical deduction, a necessity of thought is it not? An ending, observed from another angle of view is a beginning…
How about a tune to see us through the day? This is not the one which I intended. This was discovered by chance. Listening to the first few bars I felt moved, my eyes tearing. This is the one! The song is about memory, of time and place which once was, an ending if you will, — which also becomes the pivot point for a new beginning.
The tune by Neil Young was delivered On November 25, 1976 when The Band performed their final concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Theatre. The concert was dubbed The Last Waltz.
Helpless
By Neil Young
(from “The Last Waltz” soundtrack)
There is a town in north Ontario,
With dream comfort memory to spare,
In my mind I still need a place to go,
All my changes were there.
Blue, blue windows behind the stars,
Yellow moon on the rise,
The big birds flying across the sky,
They were throwing shadows on our eyes.
Leave us
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Baby can you hear me now?
The chains are locked and tied across my door,
Baby, sing with me somehow.
Blue, blue windows behind the stars,
Yellow moon on the rise,
The big birds flying across the sky,
They’re throwing shadows on our eyes.
Leave us
Helpless, helpless, helpless.
Helpless, helpless, helpless.
Helpless, helpless, helpless.
Babe can you hear me now?
Helpless, helpless, helpless.
Helpless, helpless, helpless.
Helpless, helpless, helpless.
The chains are locked and tied across my door
Baby, baby, baby, sing with me somehow
With me so helpless
Helpless, helpless, helpless.
Thanks