Waiting on a Song

Listen while you read:  Parental Discretion Advised

I've been thinking and I've been humming
I've been picking and I've been strumming
Just waiting, waiting on a song

I've been hitching, I've been thumbing
I can almost hear one coming
Now just waiting, waiting on a song

I look down in my pocket, underneath the bed
I walked under a lamppost
And one hit me on the head

Am I blind or too dumb to see
All the sounds surrounding me?
I'm just waiting, waiting on a song

You can look up at the stars
Bow your head and count the cars
You'll still be waiting, waiting on a song

Might be a bluebird or a crow
On a car between two posts
They're just waiting, waiting on a song

Songs don't blow on trees, you gotta pick them out the breeze
You fall down on your knees
And pray one comes along

When those railroad gates come down
You gotta stop and turn around
Or you'll be waiting, waiting on a song

You'll be waiting, waiting on a song

~  Dan Auerbach (co-written with John Prine)

I think I just stepped back in time. This mellow-70s-California-pop song put me right back to those days when all that mattered was looking hot and attracting some equally hot-looking dude to make out with at the drive-in. Hard to believe that this is Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and The Arcs. The song appears on the album of the same name, released last month.

If you watch the video (which is fun!), pay attention to the liquor store patron who buys booze for the kids. That's John Prine! He co-wrote the song with Auerbach. It's an ode to writer's block, something every songwriter knows well.

As for me, I spent this morning waiting on a song . . . not one to write, but one to post here. Some days, inspiration comes without me even thinking about it. Other days, I have to search. On this, my 212th post, I was coming up short. And then this little earworm took hold. Not being terribly impressed with the simplicity of the song, I resisted. But then I watched the video, and I found it so comforting to travel back to a simpler time, at least in selective memory. In reality, there was an unjust war going on, a draft, suppression of women's rights, and a horrible excess of polyester clothing. And yet, in comparison to the homophobia, xenophobia, and all the other phobias that are supposedly going to make America great again, I welcomed the respite from all-the-news-all-the-time, fake or otherwise.

You know, songs don't blow on trees. (What?) I hope you enjoy this one.