Friday, September 09, 2005

There Once Was A Note....

I still love this song. I was reminded of how much last night. From a lyrical standpoint it also captures the essence of the love of music about as well as anything I've ever read. Pete Townshend, for all of his lunacy, destruction, outrageous comments that veer from the egregiously arrogant to the vehemently self-loathing, still amazes me with the depth of his talent. I wish this song got more credit (and radio-play) than it does. It think it is The Who at their best.


Pure And Easy


There once was a note,
pure and easy,
Playing so free, like a breath rippling by.

The note is eternal,
I hear it,
it sees me,
Forever we blend it,
forever we die.

I listened and I heard music in a word,
And words when you played your guitar,
The noise that I was hearing was a million people cheering,
And a child flew past me riding in a star.

As people assemble,
Civilization is trying to find a new way to die,
But killing is really merely scene changer,
All men are bored with other men's lies.

I listened and I heard music in a word,
And words when you played your guitar,
The noise that I was hearing was a million people cheering,
And a child flew past me riding in a star.

Gas on the hillside, oil in the teacup,
Watch all the chords of life lose their joy,
Distortion becomes somehow pure in its wildness,
The note that began all can also destroy.

We all know success when we all find our own dreams,
And our love is enough to knock down any walls,
And the future's been seen as men try to realize,
The simple secret of the note in us all.

I listened and I heard music in a word,
And words when you played your guitar,
The noise that I was hearing was a million people cheering
,And a child flew past me riding in a star.

There once was a note,
pure and easy,
Playing so free, like a breath rippling by.

There once was a note, listen...

4 comments:

JunieRose2005 said...

... I read the lyrics before I read what you had to say...
and for a moment I couldn't place those lyrics but, then of course, it came to me!
Pete Townshend and THE *GREAT* Who!
Wonderful song!!
In fact - going to play it NOW!!

JunieRose

JunieRose2005 said...

...and, of course, when I went to look for that song on my collection of WHO CDs I didn't find it!

(...Maybe recorded just by Pete - solo!
Anyway, some great lyrics there!)

:) since I was in a 'WHO' kind of mood,(after reading those lyrics) I spent the remainder of the day playing my LOUD - WHO CDs!

Junie

The Nightwatchman said...

There's actually a good Pete version of it too. . .

spitfire said...

I'm considerably more partial to The Who version of "Pure and Easy". I don't always say that, but on this one I think it worked better with The Who than Townshend solo.