If you don’t recognize the aforementioned lyric well then you definitely are not a Johnny Cash fan. It’s one of his more famous songs, (I think this is especially true since the movie Walk the Line came out.) Anyhow, I was raised with an eclectic mix of music thanks to a white family from Oklahoma who taught me to appreciate country music from the 40’s until now and a black family who taught me to appreciate Motown, I am now an adult who appreciates the full gamut of music. There’s very little music that I don’t like, I know that I am not a fan of Jack Johnson, Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band, but besides that I can pretty much appreciate it all.
So, today’s tribute is to country music. You can thank shuffle on the iPod for this one. Johnny Cash entered the rotation around 8:15 this morning and there’s just something about his music that brings a feeling of calm to me and a smile to my face. Then I realized that it’s not necessarily Johnny Cash but more or less, country music from the 40’s – late 80’s.
This is the music of my childhood. Artists like Johnny Cash, The Limelighters, Marty Robbins, John Denver, Randy Travis, Alabama, Hank Thompson, Charley Pride, Merle Haggard, George Straight, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Alan Jackson, Neil Diamond, Ernest Tubb, Johnny Horton and the list goes on and on.
This the music that reminds me of weekend trips to Lake Isabella, road trips to Colorado for family reunions, trips to Oklahoma and Arkansas, rides in the blazer with my dad, the black car, grandpa’s truck, making Bob Bride do headstands so we could steal his change, running through the house on Faywood St. My childhood was filled with music. The stereo was always on. If someone was cooking dinner, fixing something out in the garage, reading a book, playing Barbies or Cabbage Patch Kids, working on puzzles, quilting, knitting, running in and out of the house, the stereo was always on. ALWAYS.
I’m thankful for that now, that when a song pops into my head or comes up in shuffle that it brings me happy memories. Some of my best memories come from that time in my life. When life was simple, when so many of the people I cherished were still here. I can’t help but think of my grandma Jeanie and grandpa Garland. They loved one another so much, even if you never would have known it based on how they argued with each other. They kept us all together and made sure we did things as a family. They taught me to be strong, to love myself and my family, to treat people with respect, to value my freedom and country and to stand up for what is important. My grandpa was one of the first people that I lost that I was really old enough to understand that impact of that. I was 14, I was there when it happened and I was forever changed. My grandma is the reason I am who I am today. She was the most important person in my life, and she still is. I miss her everyday and when she left she left a hole in my heart that I know no one will ever fill. She was my everything, even if I didn’t know it then.
So…I am so happy that they left me a legacy of love in song. When I miss them or I just don’t seem to feel right, I can always turn on a little Marty and feel good again. I’m glad my life is one filled with the music of my childhood and even though most people wouldn’t even think to listen to it, that’s ok, because I could care less if you like it! It means the world to me.
“My heartaches and troubles are just up and gone, The moment that you come in view. And with your hand in mine dear, I could dance on and on I could waltz across Texas with you.”
So, today’s tribute is to country music. You can thank shuffle on the iPod for this one. Johnny Cash entered the rotation around 8:15 this morning and there’s just something about his music that brings a feeling of calm to me and a smile to my face. Then I realized that it’s not necessarily Johnny Cash but more or less, country music from the 40’s – late 80’s.
This is the music of my childhood. Artists like Johnny Cash, The Limelighters, Marty Robbins, John Denver, Randy Travis, Alabama, Hank Thompson, Charley Pride, Merle Haggard, George Straight, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Alan Jackson, Neil Diamond, Ernest Tubb, Johnny Horton and the list goes on and on.
This the music that reminds me of weekend trips to Lake Isabella, road trips to Colorado for family reunions, trips to Oklahoma and Arkansas, rides in the blazer with my dad, the black car, grandpa’s truck, making Bob Bride do headstands so we could steal his change, running through the house on Faywood St. My childhood was filled with music. The stereo was always on. If someone was cooking dinner, fixing something out in the garage, reading a book, playing Barbies or Cabbage Patch Kids, working on puzzles, quilting, knitting, running in and out of the house, the stereo was always on. ALWAYS.
I’m thankful for that now, that when a song pops into my head or comes up in shuffle that it brings me happy memories. Some of my best memories come from that time in my life. When life was simple, when so many of the people I cherished were still here. I can’t help but think of my grandma Jeanie and grandpa Garland. They loved one another so much, even if you never would have known it based on how they argued with each other. They kept us all together and made sure we did things as a family. They taught me to be strong, to love myself and my family, to treat people with respect, to value my freedom and country and to stand up for what is important. My grandpa was one of the first people that I lost that I was really old enough to understand that impact of that. I was 14, I was there when it happened and I was forever changed. My grandma is the reason I am who I am today. She was the most important person in my life, and she still is. I miss her everyday and when she left she left a hole in my heart that I know no one will ever fill. She was my everything, even if I didn’t know it then.
So…I am so happy that they left me a legacy of love in song. When I miss them or I just don’t seem to feel right, I can always turn on a little Marty and feel good again. I’m glad my life is one filled with the music of my childhood and even though most people wouldn’t even think to listen to it, that’s ok, because I could care less if you like it! It means the world to me.
“My heartaches and troubles are just up and gone, The moment that you come in view. And with your hand in mine dear, I could dance on and on I could waltz across Texas with you.”
1 comment:
i love johnny cash, so incredibly... much...
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