I read the songs that make the whole world sing

I would wager that most people don’t pay attention to song lyrics. To that point, I reckon the majority of Americans think Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” is a tribute to the country, rather than a scathing commentary on the treatment of Vietnam veterans upon their return from war.

But the great thing about music is a listener can take as much or as little from a song as he wants. For my wife, the words aren’t so important. As a result, her favorite Springsteen songs are “Pour Me A Drink Theresa” and “Spanish Johnny.” (Don’t bother Googling them. Those are her titles for “I’ll Work For Your Love” and “Incident On 57th Street.”)

Me, I love the words. They’re why I enjoy Springsteen so much. Someday, I’ll come up with a list of my favorite Springsteen lyrics. Until then, here are 10 of my favorite song lyrics, in no particular order.

“My biggest mistake was loving you too much…and letting you know.”
The Band, “Don’t Do It”

“God it’s so painful, something that’s so close and still so far out of reach.”
Tom Petty, “American Girl”

“You make me feel so close to home, so far away, like nowhere else I’ve ever been.”
Kenny Loggins, “Too Early For The Sun”

“You don’t need a penny just to hang around. But if you’ve got a nickel, won’t you lay your money down?”
John Fogerty, “Down on the Corner”

“She gets a long letter, sends back a postcard. Times are hard.”
James Taylor, “Mexico”

“We never even said a word. We just walked out and got on that bike. And we rolled. And we rolled clean out of sight.”
Bob Seger, “Roll Me Away”

“I started a joke, which started the whole world crying. But I didn’t see that the joke was on me.”
Bee Gees, “I Started A Joke”

“Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king and a king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything.”
Bruce Springsteen, “Badlands”

“The only baggage you can bring is all that you can’t leave behind.”
U2, “Walk On”

“No matter how close to yours another’s steps have grown, in the end there is one dance you’ll do alone.”
Jackson Browne, “For A Dancer”

There’s at least one person reading this and screaming, “Where are Bob Dylan and Neil Young?” Well, John, I figured that list was best left to you. In the meantime, perhaps the peanut gallery has other lyric suggestions. I’d love to read (and hear) them.

Resolute on resolutions

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions for the same reason I don’t take seriously weather forecasts or annual job performance plans. (Sorry, boss. My proudest work moments of 2008 involved projects we weren’t dreaming of in January.) Fact is it’s impossible to know what will happen tomorrow, much less six months from now. Rather than worry about the next 12 months, I prefer to be thankful for the past 12. Things like:

• Fold-in driver’s side mirrors on our Irish rental car

• Orange biscuits at the Hallmark Café (and Crown Room pancakes)

• Amazon’s MP3 Daily Deal. Great way to try new music.
  

• The choir at St. John the Baptist Church in Kinsale, Ireland.

• NBC’s “Chuck.” (A show that would be better titled “Sarah Walker”)

• SNL’s Digital Shorts

• Chrissie and Tom at The Olde Bakery B&B in Kinsale, Ireland. Finer proprietors you will not find.

• The opportunity to run on untouched snow-covered roads.

• Killarney National Park before it opens to car traffic.

• All seven Bruce Springsteen concerts. But especially the second night in Dublin when he came within a few feet of Rachel. (Her look was priceless.) And the Houston show with Father Tom. And meeting Dave and “Tree” in St. Paul. And the KC show with my dad.

• Watching Avery and Gwyneth needle each other the same way Candice and I did at their ages. And knowing what the girls don’t…that they may spend the next few years wishing for their own rooms or their own toys or whatever else, but in each other they have a best friend for life.

• The lunch-time running crew at Hallmark

• The chance to stand in the outfield and watch Neil Diamond at Fenway Park

• That my brother found someone who will endure him for the next 60 or so years.

• Facebook. (I never thought I’d say that. But it’s been very cool to reconnect with old friends and classmates.)

And the basics, which didn’t seem so basic in 2008. Health, employment, family, friends, faith and a wife who endures me. Seems like the sky is falling anytime we open a newspaper or turn on the television. And I’m sure it feels like the sky IS falling for many people. Jobs lost, retirement funds depleted. But I do think everyone can find something to be thankful for. If not, perhaps a resolution is in order…