People living their lives for you on TV
They say they're better than you and you agree
Another burger, another hot dog, some fries
A wish in the well, hope your health don't go to hell, well
Another doctor's bill, another lawyer's bill
Another cute cheap thrill
You know you love him if you put him in your will
Who will save your soul when it comes to the flower
Who will save your soul after the lies you told, boy
Who will save your soul if you won't save your own
We try to hustle them, try to bustle them, try to cuss them
The cops want someone to bust down on Orleans Avenue
Another day, another dollar, another war, another tower
Went up to where the homeless had their homes
So we pray to as many gods as there are flowers
But we call religion our friend
We're so worried about saving our souls
Afraid that God will take His toll
That we forget to begin
Some are walking, some are talking, some are stalking their kill
Aunt Cale gets Social Security, but it doesn't pay her bills
There are addictions to feed and there are mouths to pay
So you bargain with the Devil, say you're okay for today
You say that you love them, take their money and run
Say, it's been swell, sweetheart, but it was just one of those things
Those flings, those strings, you've got to cut
So get out on the streets, girls, and bust your butts
~ Jewel
So Jewel was sixteen years old when she wrote this song. She'd been hitch-hiking in Mexico at the time. It appears on 1994's Pieces of You, her first album. Wow, it was that long ago?
I liked Jewel. I thought she had musical talent, a great voice, and the potential for really meaningful lyrics. Maybe she refused to play the game, but she never ascended to the fame that her talents should have brought. Last I recall, she'd hooked up with a cowboy and was living on a ranch in Texas. I don't know if she is still making music.
There seems to always be a story as to how I choose a song for this blog. Some of those stories are good. Some of them? Not so much. This is one of those "not so much" ones. I spent most of yesterday weeding, raking, rebuilding a wall, and doing whatever else I could manage on my own to spruce up the entrance to my home. (I have a very long driveway.) Having been remiss in keeping up with the landscaping around here, there were some giant, I mean GIANT, weeds taking over a piece of my little acre of land. So I began pulling. And there it was . . . the poison ivy. I clipped it with my Fiskars, and without touching it, set it aside to die a peaceful death. And then I kept pulling these weed-trees, dark green leaves with tiny orange flowers. Dozens of them.
And then I thought, "Damn! What are they? Maybe they're also some kind of poison?" Well, too late now. But I googled images for "tiny orange flowers" and there was the exact plant I'd been pulling. Oh, no, what is it?
Well, turns out it's JEWELWEED, which is a treatment for poison ivy! So, yeah, "Jewel." There ya go. Who will save your soul when it comes to the flower?
This life is full of poisons. It's also full of treatments. Nature's funny that way. And so is human nature.
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