The Measure - Joe Pug
Every inch of anguish
Laid out side by side
Cannot make a full yard
In the measure of our lives
Every coin of sorrow
Weighed upon the beams
Rises when the far side
Is freighted by our dreams
Well the night is rich
As we stop to look around
Yes I believe it is
As we pause to hear the sound
All we’ve lost is nothing to what we found
All we’ve lost is nothing to what we found.....
I woke up this morning, a stiff breeze howling round the corners of our bungalow. With a steaming coffee in my hand and the kettle humming with another round, I'm staring out over the valley and towards the magnificent Drakensberg Amphitheatre. Majestic peaks towering above green, summer kissed valleys. I had my first night of decent sleep in days and taking in all this beauty made my mind drift. I thought about last night, playing the new Midwestern Dreams production I'd been working on for the last few months and seeing my friend Gerhard Jacobs capturing the hearts of holiday goers at the Drakensville mountain resort with a beautiful audio and visual presentation of the life and music of Leonard Cohen. The complex songs of Cohen performed with empathy and skill. A true tribute by a dedicated fan. That reminded me that so often we forget to be fans. We are so caught up in our own little worlds of work, responsibility and competitiveness that we often forget that there are songs, books, poems and movies that make up the soundtrack and the memories of our lives. When done well and with intent, art holds up a mirror to our souls. It reminds us of the things we've seen, the places, the people and the roads we've traveled on and the magnificent beauty and connection that exists between all of us.
It's now dark on the farm. In the distance a thunderstorm is showing off its magnificent fury. We drove home via The Golden Gate National Park and cruised northbound through the small Free State towns. Beautiful post card pictures in every direction. We said goodbye to Gerhard and followed the Vaal River west in awe of the mighty brown water that pushed up to the banks after above average rains. It is my hope that this year there will be more opportunities like this to travel and make music. We've put in a lot of work into our art and we are excited to share it whether it's solo or with a band.
Thank you for reading this blog and for your support. I'm wishing you and your family a prosperous 2022.
Every dying ember
Every setting sun
Cannot cast a shadow
On the race that we have run
Every paper dollar
Counted over twice
Cannot buy our gladness
Cannot pay our price
Well the night is rich
As we stop to look around
Yes I believe it is
As we pause to hear the sound
All we've lost is nothing to what we found.
JB