Come be my April Fool
Come, you're the only one
Come on your rusted bike
Come, we'll break all the rules
We'll ride like writers ride
Neither rich nor broke
We'll race through alleyways
In our tattered cloaks so
Come be my April Fool
Come, we'll break all the rules
We'll burn all of our poems
Add to God's debris
We'll pray to all of our saints
Icons of mystery
We'll tramp through the mire
When our souls feel dead
With laughter we'll inspire
Then back to life again
~ Patti Smith
Well, I had to do it, didn't I? And before deciding on this one from Patti Smith, I discovered that there are way too many love songs with the word "fool" in the lyrics. What does that tell us?
After a long break, Smith released Banga in 2012 to rave reviews. "April Fool," the single released before the album, leans toward pop, somewhat of a departure for Smith. But it's pleasant and catchy and, according to one review, "unexpectedly seductive." Smith's former New York punk-era colleague, Tom Verlaine, assists on guitar, and it's really nice.
Patti Smith is a legend and one of our better rock poets. She had the honor of being asked to perform at the ceremony in Stockholm at which Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature last September. (Dylan did not attend.) She practiced "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," a song she'd known since her teens, prior to the ceremony and felt confident that she could deliver. But overwhelmed with emotion, she stumbled during her performance and then graciously apologized, regrouped, and completed the song. It was a moving testimony to our common humanity and a reminder that any of us can stumble. What's important is picking ourselves back up again and continuing with the task at hand. There is nothing foolish in doing so.
In the December 14, 2016 issue of The New Yorker, Patti Smith tells us the story in an essay titled "How Does It Feel." It's a beautiful piece and you can read it here: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/patti-smith-on-singing-at-bob-dylans-nobel-prize-ceremony
Come, come, be my April Fool
We'll break all the rules
Break some rules today!
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