"I Had It All" by Ray Charles
He was just an ole honky-tonk singer
Perched on a stool at the end of the room,
And over his head a lightbulb was swinging,
Keepin' rhythm to each other's tunes.
He sang stories of bygone glories
And how Lady Luck could change;
I was content just to hear his lament,
And this isn't all that he said.
"I had it all" -- he said that -- "I had it all;
I've been a rich man to a poor man, black suits to leather, jailhouse to the Taj Mahal;
I had it all, -- I had it all;
Dodge vans to limos, lounge acts in Reno, even down in ole Carnegie Hall."
Yes, it seems he was raised to a reasonable age
By loving Mom and Dad,
And he soon decided that he'd hit the stage
And give up everything he had.
Well, he got a shot, and he went straight to the top --
Man, you know, he just couldn't lose;
But whiskey and smoke cut off all the high notes --
Now he can only sing the blues.
"I had it all" -- you oughta hear him -- "I had it all;
A rich man to a poor man, black suits to leather, jailhouse to the Taj Mahal;"
He said, "I had it all, -- I had it all;
Dodge vans to limos, lounge acts in Reno, even down in ole Carnegie Hall."
One more thing:
Well, of course there was a woman
He loved all the way,
But he hit rock bottom, and she soon forgot him;
Now all that he can say
Is, "I had it all" -- just like me -- "I had it all;
I've been a rich man to a poor man, black suits to leather, jailhouse to the Taj Mahal;"
"I had it all -- Oh, I had it all" -- I did;
"Dodge vans to limos, lounge acts in Reno, even in old Carnegie Hall. ..."
One of the things that I share with Jay is our twin loves of politics and music. I tend to be more interested in classical and Broadway genres; but when I saw a CD of Ray Charles' greatest hits for a dollar at a booksale, I decided it was time to broaden my horizons. What I discovered was a poet of deep perception whose words and music deftly captured the feeling of alienation and aloneness that characterize many Americans today and, indeed, have done so for most of the twentieth century.
Ray Charles was more alienated than most of us. For starters, he was blind. Also, for many years he was a heroin addict. When he sang about "whiskey and smoke...just like me," he wasn't kidding. Yet somehow he knew what touched the human spirit most deeply, and infused his songs with its inimitable quality. Unlike most of our coddled leaders, Charles had experienced the real hard life. And it made him succulently sour, though capable of incredible sweetness.
The reason we as a nation loved Ray Charles (who died last year) was that we felt he really understood us. He gave us the great gift of empathy. And (since I promised Jay I'd do a post connecting Ray Charles to politics), it's a message that should be adopted by the Democratic Party if it ever wants to win elections again. Two examples will suffice: Bill Clinton (of whom I am not a fan), who nevertheless managed to make Americans feel he was one of them; and (of course) Brian Schweitzer, whose folksy ways and commonsense pragmatism are endearing to the many who are sick and tired of elitist politicians. Yes, I said elitist politicians, and activists, too. Drink that one in slowly, so it burns your throat as it goes down. You'll feel better.
We need to stop acting like we're better than the average Joe, because, in all honesty, the average Joe isn't all that bad a guy. He's much more intelligent, hardworking, good, honest, caring, and much less lucky than many of us realize. Ray Charles understood that -- understood that people can make mistakes and still be good human beings, can fall and rise again. And he chose to focus on the rising.
I'm including one more song lyric because I think it absolutely captures the message of hope that Ray Charles sent spinning out from all his music to the millions who loved him. He was telling them that he loved them too, and that, more importantly, they could never truly live until they loved themselves.
"Let Your Love Flow" by Ray Charles
There's a reason for the sunshine sky,
And there's a reason why I'm feelin' so high.
Must be the season when that love light shines
All around us.
So let that feeling grab you deep inside
And send you reeling where your love can't hide
And then you'll go stealing through the moonlit nights
With your lover.
Just let your love flow like a mountain stream
And let your love grow with the smallest of dreams
And let your love show and you'll know what I mean
It's the season.
Let your love fly like a bird on the wing
And let your love bind you to all living things,
And let your love shine and you'll know what I mean,
That's the reason.
Now there's a reason for the warm sweet nights
There's a reason for the candle lights.
It must be the season when those love rites shine
All around us.
So let that wonder take you into space
And lay you under its loving embrace
Just feel the thunder as it warms your face
You can't hold back.
All you do is just let your love flow like a mountain stream
And let your love grow with the smallest of dreams
And let your love show and you'll know what I mean
It's the season.
Let your love fly like a bird on the wing
Let your love bind you to all living things,
And let your love shine and you'll know what I mean,
That's the reason. ...
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