Rock and Bird

Listen while you read:  Rock and Bird

She captured both rock and bird
Tied one to the other
Kept them as prisoners
Until they knew who was the master

Then she threw them to the sky
Bird with unbarred wings disappeared
Rock with weighted heart returned

And rock became her anchor
And bird became her dream

Now she stands on the forest floor
Among the pines and towering firs
Rock still firm beneath her feet
Bird perched high above her

Singing songs of love's betrayal
"I offered you my endless skies
You countered with hoods and chains
The song I sing will be the last
To be inspired by your memory."

~  Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies)

Despite the "I'm not a musician" line, the piano you hear is Bruce Hornsby. But when the piano continues to play by itself at the end, I'm wondering if that is actually Bruce Hornsby in the video? I'm confused. Anyway, I chose this live version because of the Hornsby piano. The studio version is absent that, but I love that one, too. You can find it on 1990's The Caution Horses.

Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian band, and I think they draw a certain following. I'm certainly a fan. Their genre has been listed as "alt country," whatever that is. I think it's hard to categorize their music, but one can surely say it's soulful. Margo Timmins projects her own sultry style and it seems authentic, until you realize that this is the persona she presents at every concert, and you start to wonder if it's an act. Doesn't matter either way; Margo can touch your soul.

And this song touches my soul, too. It's a sweet allegory. There is a price to pay for control and captivity of one you love. The cliches about giving your children wings bear some truth. Despite his poor grammar, Sting (a former English teacher), lectured us, "If you love somebody, set them free." When the woman in the song finally sets Rock and Bird free, she believes that they know she is the master. Bird pretty much flips her the bird and remains unattainable, revenge for his captivity. As for Rock, I guess he never really had any choice in the matter.

So aside from the fact that Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian band, there has to be another reason I selected this song, right? It's the rock. Yesterday, we visited "Big Rock," a 16,000 ton glacial erratic positioned south of Calgary in Okotoks. It's the size of a three-story house, and is the world's largest known glacial erratic. Big Rock, also known as the Okotoks Erratic, was transported from Jasper to Okotoks by glacial ice thousands of years ago. The Blackfoot considered the rock sacred. In their language, "Okotoks" means "rock."

So, yeah, yesterday, we saw a big rock.

But we also saw the Johnston Canyon waterfalls and Moraine Lake (the "Jewel of the Rockies") in Banff National Park. Breathtaking.

But this post is about a rock, so here's the rock.