Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath
Keep me in your heart for awhile
If I leave you, it doesn't mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for awhile
When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun
Keep me in your heart for awhile
There's a train leaving nightly called when all is said and done
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Sometimes when you're doing simple things around the house
Maybe you'll think of me and smile
You know I'm tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Hold me in your thoughts, take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes, keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you
Engine driver's headed north on Pleasant Stream
Keep me in your heart for awhile
These wheels keep turning but they're running out of steam
Keep me in your heart for awhile
Keep me in your heart for awhile
~ Warren Zevon and Jorge Calderon
K. C. B., this one is for you.
"Excitable Boy" Warren Zevon lived life on his own terms, 'fessing up to his "Dirty Life and Times" on The Wind, his last release in August 2003. A couple of weeks later, at age 56, he was gone, a victim of mesothelioma. Warren had a year between diagnosis and death to put together this collection which won a Grammy for "Best Contemporary Folk Album." While I never thought of Warren as a folkie, the recognition for this beauty wins my approval.
"Keep Me in Your Heart" was the final song that Warren wrote and recorded. He had a makeshift studio set up at his home to do so. Warren told us, via his 1976 self-titled album that "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead." It appears that he squeezed every bit of energy out of his one short and crazy life. Less than a year before he died, Warren famously answered host and good friend David Letterman's question about what he might now know about life and death that he (Letterman) might not know. "Not unless I know how much you're supposed to enjoy every sandwich," replied Warren.
We're all going to die. Some of us get to know how much time we have left, but some of us get no warning whatsoever. I honestly do not know which is best. I have friends who are currently in the first category. They try to measure out their time in meaningful ways despite physical and emotional pain. I try to study their courage, their compassion, their handling of their fears. Their experience offers much to teach us and to ready us for our own singular journey toward what lies beyond. There is one dance you do alone, Jackson Browne told us. My hope is that we all make our journey, our dance, a loving tribute to whatever joy and sorrow this life has given us.
So Kathy . . . Enjoy every sandwich, okay? And I promise to keep you in my heart for awhile.
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