Literary Lyrics: "Hopeless Wanderer" by Mumford & Sons

Do you guys have favorite songs? I have one consistent song that is my all-time favorite and that is irreplaceable -- but I also tend to have a "current" favorite song, the one that I feel like listening to on repeat for days at a time. Right now, that song is "Hopeless Wanderer" by Mumford & Sons. Enjoy!

You heard my voice I came out of the woods by choice
Shelter also gave their shade
But in the dark I have no name

So leave that click in my head
And I will remember the words that you said
Left a clouded mind and a heavy heart
But I was sure we could see a new start

So when your hope's on fire
But you know your desire
Don't hold a glass over the flame
Don't let your heart grow cold
I will call you by name
I will share your road

But hold me fast, Hold me fast
'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer
And hold me fast, Hold me fast
'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer

I wrestled long with my youth
We tried so hard to live in the truth
But do not tell me all is fine
When I lose my head, I lose my spine

So leave that click in my head
And I won't remember the words that you said
You brought me out from the cold
Now, how I long, how I long to grow old

So when your hope's on fire
But you know your desire
Don't hold a glass over the flame
Don't let your heart grow cold
I will call you by name
I will share your road

But hold me fast, Hold me fast
'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer
And hold me fast, Hold me fast
'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer
I will learn, I will learn to love the skies I'm under
I will learn, I will learn to love the skies I'm under
The skies I'm under

Literary Lyrics: "I've Got This Friend" by the Civil Wars

I always think of the Civil Wars in conjunction with fall. I love their unique songs, their beautiful harmonies, and their sparse, rhythmic instrumentation. "I've Got This Friend" is a little more light-hearted than most of the other songs on their album Barton Hollow. I love how light-hearted and sweet it is. 

I've got this friend
I don't think you know him
He's not much for words
He's hidden his heart away

Oh I've got this friend
A loveless romantic
All that he really wants
Is someone to want him back

Ohh, if the right one came
If the right one came along
Ohh, If the right one came, along

I've got this friend
I don't think you know her
She sings a simple song
It sounds a lot like his
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/the-civil-wars-ive-got-this-friend-lyrics.html ]
Oh I've got this friend
Holding onto her heart
Like it's a little secret
Like it's all she's got to give

Ohh, if the right one came
If the right one came along
Ohh, if the right one came, along

It'd be such a shame
(If they never meet)
She sounds lovely
(He sounds right out of a dream)
If only
(If only)
If only

Ohh
Ohh, if the right one came
If the right one came along
Ohh, (I've got this friend) if the right one came
If the right one came along
Ohh, (I've got this friend)
If the right one came, along 

A Classics Challenge -- September Post

This month's prompt for November's Autumn's A Classics Challenge is to find a piece of music that goes with the mood of the classic we are reading.

I am currently reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. In North and South, after a drastic change in lifestyle and insight in her father, Margaret, the protagonist, finds her family moving from the south of England, a country area that she is in love with, to the factory town of Milton in northern England. Margaret suffers many changes in her life in addition to the change of location, some as a result of the move and some perhaps not, but through it all, despite her good attitude, she longs for the south (at least to my knowledge... I'm not quite finished with the book).

Something about fall always makes me think of Simon and Garfunkel, so the first song that popped into my head while I was trying to think of songs that have to do with missing home is "Homeward Bound." While Margaret has a pretty good attitude throughout everything, I do think she would have related to this song if North and South had taken place during the sixties instead of the 19th century. :)

Les Miserables -- The Musical!

Someone I know from nursing school posted on Facebook that he was sick of hearing about Les Miserables. I am assuming that pertains to the movie, not all the Les Mis action on this blog. There has been a lot of it lately, but it has been dominating a lot of my reading time, so I apologize if it is driving you crazy. I give you liberty to skip this post and move on.

But... my husband and I had our two-year anniversary on August 17th. While we were busy on that exact date at a wedding open house for my sister, we decided to celebrate the next week by visiting San Francisco, the place we got engaged, because we were in the area. I knew we were going to San Francisco to celebrate, but my husband surprised me with the main activity that we were doing there -- going to see a performance of Les Miserables!

I have been into musical theater for a long time. I remember my grandma taking me to Phantom of the Opera when I was eight years old and being completely spellbound. In addition, I spent so much time on music in high school and the beginning of college that musical theater tunes were just part of my life. However, Les Miserables was one musical I had just never had the opportunity to see. I had told my husband that I hoped it would come to Los Angeles during the four years we will be here, but I never imagined that I would get the opportunity to see the musical so soon!

This adaptation was a little different from the film recordings of the musical that I have seen. First of all, it used props and scenery, which I thought was very effective. It also seemed to correlate much better with the book than the other videos I had seen. While the music was essentially the same, there were little changes in the words or little verses added to the songs that seemed to tie everything back to the book so much better. I'm not sure if it is a change in the parts the director chose to include, if they were additions to this tour, or if I simply never noticed the changes before, having not read the book recently. However, I found them to be extremely helpful. It was clear the director was very familiar with the book and was striving to be faithful to it.

And of course, the music and story itself were absolutely phenomenal. Les Miserables is so intensely moving, I don't think it will ever become hackneyed for me (although I do have a few qualms about the upcoming movie version). The vocalists were all phenomenal, except for possibly Fantine, who had a lovely voice but who didn't quite deliver for me. Favorites for me included Marius, who was really solid, and Cosette, whose voice was perfect for the role, in my opinion.

It was an amazing performance and made so much more meaningful by the fact that I had just finished the colossus of the novel. The day was made even better as we repeated several of the activities we did on the day we got engaged, including visiting Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. We finished the day with killer authentic Italian food at a restaurant called Specchio. I've been to so many good restaurants lately I'm tempted to start a foodie blog on the side, but with this baby coming I guess I should probably stick to my current projects. Anyway, it was an amazing day and I'm so happy I had the opportunity to see Les Miserables live at last!

We asked an elderly man to take a picture of us in front of the poster but he didn't seem to understand so...

We took one ourselves, but it didn't turn out well. Oh well. 

Have you been to a performance of Les Miserables? Tell me about it in the comments!

Literary Lyrics: "Monster" by Meg and Dia

So, I don't actually know this song, but I was at a loss for what to use for this month's Literary Lyrics. I found this list on Wikipedia that references songs about or referencing literature, and I saw that the song "Monster" by Meg and Dia was inspired by Cathy Ames in East of Eden -- also known as the most evil character ever created (in my opinion). I couldn't resist learning about this song. 

His little whispers.
Love Me. Love Me.
That's all I ask for.
Love Me. Love Me.
He battered his tiny fists to feel something.
Wondered what it's like to touch and feel something.
Monster.
How should I feel?
Creatures lie here.
Looking through the window...
That night he caged her.
Bruised and broke her.
He struggled closer.
Then he stole her.
Violet wrists and then her ankles.
Silent Pain.
Then he slowly saw their nightmares were his dreams.
Monster.
How should I feel?
Creatures lie here.
Looking through the windows.
I will.
Hear their voices.
I'm a glass child.
I am Hannah's regrets.
Monster.
How should I feel?
Turn the sheets down.
Murder ears with pillow lace.
There's bath tubs.
Full of glow flies.
Bathe in kerosene.
Their words tattoed in his veins, yeah.



Pretty bleak, but so is the character in the book. Not my usual musical choice, but it was interesting to learn something new. 

Literary Lyrics: "Far Away" by Ingrid Michaelson

Originally I thought of doing the song "Breakable" for this month's Literary Lyrics, in honor of being done with nursing school in less than a week (HOORAY), but when I went back through my Literary Lyrics posts I saw that I'd already done it. Guess favorites really are favorites. However, because I am in the Ingrid mood now, I picked the song "Far Away." I am moving to a completely new place in less than two weeks, and while there are things that I will definitely miss here in Utah (re: family, friends, and mountains) I am excited for a new start -- especially after this rough summer. So here's to daydreaming about a big escape and actually managing it. :)


I will live my life as a lobsterman's wife on an island in the blue bay.
He will take care of me, he will smell like the sea,
And close to my heart he'll always stay.

I will bear three girls all with strawberry curls, little Ella and
Nelly and Faye.
While I'm combing their hair, I will catch his warm stare
On our island in the blue bay.

Far away far away, I want to go far away.
To a new life on a new shore line.
Where the water is blue and the people are new.
To another island, in another life.

There's a boy next to me and he never will be anything but a boy at the bar.
And I think he's the tops, he's where everything stops.
How I love to love him from afar.

When he walks right pass me then I finally see on this bar stool I can't stay.
So I'm taking my frown to a far distant town
On an island in the blue bay.

Far away far away, I want to go far away.
To a new life on a new shore line.
Where the water is blue and the people are new.
To another island, in another life.

I want to go far away.
Away away, I want to go far away, away, away
I want to go far away, far away.

Where the water is blue and the people are new.
To another life, to another life.
To another shore line
In another life.

Chopin's Funeral by Benita Eisler

Title: Chopin's Funeral
Author: Benita Eisler
Genre: Biography, nonfiction
Publisher: Vintage, 2004
Source: Library
Read for: Paris in July

A few of you may know that in a former life, I was a music major. I spent about four hours a day practicing the piano in high school. While I don't play nearly that much now, music is a huge part of my life. Frederic Chopin happens to be one of my favorite composers. I first read this book in high school, and the other day I found myself thinking of it and decided to read it again.

The book begins with Chopin's funeral -- the people who were there, the music that was played, the way his coffin looked, his final resting place in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. It then takes us back to his early life, his beginning fame as a performer and composer, and his troubled relationship with the infamous novelist George Sand. While Chopin had poor health throughout his brief adulthood, it was the ending of his romance with Sand that finally spiraled him down into decline and death.

Chopin and I at Pere Lachaise

This 240-page volume is sparse, even for Chopin's brief life. Eisler does not spend time on the minute details of Chopin's life, instead bringing to her narrative details that I found more interesting -- his relationships with women, family members, and friends; the types of pianos he had; the circumstances he was in when he wrote certain pieces of music. The book read like a novel instead of a listing of details (a trap I find many biographies fall into) and it was smooth and easy to read. Each event on which Benita Eisler focuses is relevant to the next, so that we see many of the events of Chopin's life in a cause and effect relationship. The details themselves of Chopin's life were also interesting -- he lead the life of a romantic artist in a romantic city, dying in the end of a romantic, Bohemian disease. Aside from his tumultuous relationship with Sand, he also had a woman back in Poland that he remembered with a bundle of faded letters bound up with a rose and labeled "My Sorrow."

Eisler's writing is fluid and evocative, adding to the romantic air of Chopin's life with her excellent descriptions of Paris and Chopin's music. There is nothing stiff in her portrayal of Chopin's life, and she writes with a sensitivity and care that indicates to me that she is also a lover of his music.

The one thing that I wish could have been added to this novel is a CD or interactive file of Chopin's music. Compositions are frequently referenced and I was not familiar with all of them. While at times I would search for them on the internet and listen, others I was not near a computer or headphones and wasn't able to connect with the music. I know interactive ebooks are a new "thing" and this book was written almost ten years ago, but this book would be a perfect candidate for a reimagining as an interactive ebook.

While some readers might not appreciate Eisler's minimalist, descriptive rendering of Chopin's life, for me as a reader and a musician it was deeply satisfying. Learning about the man behind the music made the musical legacy he leaves behind even more meaningful. Any lover of classical music and Chopin's music in particular will find Chopin's Funeral an evocative treat.

4 stars


Warnings: A few sordid affairs are alluded to.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'd Give a Theme Song To

I am so happy this is the Top Ten Tuesday this week, because I do this all the time. Be forewarned, though; most of these are total cheeseball songs. Also be aware that minor spoilers may be present for some of these books, so proceed with caution.

1. In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce with "A Time For Us" by Johnny Mathis


When I first read this book, I was so captivated by the somewhat tragic love story between Prince Jonathan and Alanna (reading it as an adult wasn't quite so tragic -- I understood where Alanna was coming from better). I had discovered this song in a big thick book of piano music, and I thought it fit with the characters' stories perfectly.



2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern with "Poison and Wine" by The Civil Wars


This is another story about loving someone who is an impossible choice for you, and the song talks about the contradictions in loving and hating someone at the same time.



3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling with "Stronger" by Britney Spears


Okay, I know. Britney Spears. But as I read the shocking finish to this book on a 5-hour road trip, in the ending scenes this song just kept going through my head. Every time I hear it I still think of that scene in Harry Potter.



4. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins with "We Found Love (In a Hopeless Place)" by Rihanna


To be honest, this one is totally my husband's. I was listening to the song while he was reading Hunger Games, and he got really excited and shouted, "This is Katniss and Peeta's song!!" and started spinning me around the room. I think it fits really well!



5. Kartography by Kamila Shamsie and "Where The Streets Have No Name" by U2


This is cheating -- the author basically says this is the theme song in the book. But it totally fits.



6. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh and "Smother Me" by the Used


"Smother Me" is my favorite "what-up-I'm-all-emo-with-my-long-bangs-and-my-dark-soul" song. (And yes, I have those moments). Also, this slow burn is the best slow burn of all the slow burns.



7. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and "Roumanian Dance II" by Bela Bartok


This is a classical piece, and it is very dissonant and scary sounding (my husband begs me not to play it). This book was also pretty much terrifying and very dark, and I think they fit in well together.



8. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and "Vivere" by Andrea Bocelli and Laura Pausini


So Roxane sang real opera, and this is pop Italian music. But it makes me think of the book.



9. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and any Enya song


I know Enya did the last song on The Fellowship of the Ring movie, but that is not why I chose her as the theme song for this trilogy. I think it might have to do with the fact that my sister got the Enya CD for Christmas the same year that I got the books, and so it was always on when I read them.



I'm out of songs for now! Hope you enjoyed.

The Last of the Mohicans

Before doing anything else, please proceed to the bottom of this post, press "play," and listen to this awesome music while you read.

The Last of the Mohicans is a story I grew up with. My dad loved the movie, and would often play the soundtrack in the evenings while I would run around with my little sister pretending we were Indians dancing around the fire. Later, when I was an angsty teenager, I would walk for hours in the woods behind our cabin, listening to the soundtrack and being angsty. (Ok, I was also a weird teenager). I will also confess and say that The Last of the Mohicans was the first (and practically only) R-rated movie I ever saw. (Although I heard that the rating was changed to PG-13? I don't know if that is actually true. And I have repented - I just ordered the movie from clean play so that I can enjoy it again without feeling guilty. Anyway...)

Because this movie was such a classic in my hunting, outdoorsy family, I couldn't wait for the day when I could read the book. When I was in elementary school (I am remembering my 3rd grade classroom, so I think it was at that time) I discovered a Great Illustrated Classics version of The Last of the Mohicans in my teacher's bookshelf. I pretty much existed on Great Illustrated Classics in elementary school. I remember when the teacher took a bunch of my accelerated reader points away when she found out I was reading the simplified version instead of the original. Anyway, reading the story absolutely inspired me. I had never read a story with so much passion, desperation for survival, or tragedy. I couldn't wait for the day when I was smart enough to read the "grown up" version.

So, (after all that introduction) I have finally read the grown up version. I had mixed feelings about it. The story is still what captivated me over ten years ago. Once I reached the end, I still was completely jarred, even though I knew what was coming. (Brief aside: The Book Thief puts this perfectly: "Of course, I'm being rude. I'm spoiling the ending [...] I don't have much interest in building mystery. Mystery bores me. It chores me. I know what happens and so do you. It's the machinations that wheel us there that aggravate, perplex, interest, and astound me" (243). Exactly. This is why I reread books. End of brief aside) Often, the book was witty, descriptive, and moving.

Occasionally, the language was thick and hard to understand. I don't think this is a reflection on James Fenimore Cooper. It is a reflection on the 199 year gap between our birthdays. Even though I waited until I was "grown up" to read this book, it was still very hard. I will confess I used Cliff Notes to help me understand a few things (in particular, which tribe was which. The book has many different appellations for each tribe, and there are also many different alliances and betrayals between the tribes. You might want to draw a map). There were some important pieces of information that were unclear to me just from reading the book. If you read this, I would recommend getting a version with footnotes.

However, with all that said, you will admire the courage and resolution of Cora. You will admire the strength and untamed beauty of Uncas. You will appreciate the wisdom and roughness of Hawkeye, fall in love with Duncan and Alice, laugh at David Gamut. You will hate Le Renard Subtil. This book is most engaging due to its full characters and the intense experience they have in the wilderness of a newborn country.

The story is 5 out of 5 stars, hands down. The book at first I was thinking of about 3.5 stars, but after I read the Cliff Notes and understood it a bit better, I wanted to elevate it to 5 stars as well. Just bear in mind that it is difficult and don't be ashamed to resort to a little extra help to understand it.



Isn't the music amazing?