3 Songs

Three songs came up either in my shuffle or on Muzak at restaurants and stores on Monday night. They all evoke feelings of homes with love, I think.

First, Long Haired Lady from Paul McCartney's 1971 release, Ram. Macca did this song with his new wife Linda, mostly at his farm in Scotland, where they were living what he has described as a "hippie life." Though I am the least handy person you can name, I've always liked the idea of owning my own farm. I spent happy hours on a family farm for reunions when I was a kid and my first parish was in a farm community. I love singing along with the opening lines of the title track--"I got a horse, I got a sheep, I'm gonna get me a good night's sleep"--and imagining Farmer Mark going to feed the animals.



Next, Walk Between the Raindrops by Donald Fagen. This is, by contrast, a very urban song, the narrator reveling in the rainy dash through city streets to be with his beloved. I love cities too, big cities: bustling, filled with activity and art and commerce, great restaurants, concerts and plays and parks. Cities can be homey too.



Then, this rendition of the classic I'll Be Home for Christmas by Rascal Flatts. It's a cliche, of course, but home is where your heart is...even if you'll never go there for the rest of your lifetime. This song is one of those Christmas classics that never gets old and, really, gives expression to a longing for home that's more than just the homes we've known on earth. It also, I think, says that home, more than anything, is who you love.