Dog Days Are Over

Listen while you read:  Or are they?

Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble, she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming, so you better run
Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive
. . . 

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

~ Florence (Welch) & The Machine

This song put Florence & The Machine on the U.S. charts back in 2009 with the release of their second effort, Lungs. The linked video is said to be a favorite of Florence's, but I find it kind of creepy and really don't care to ever watch it again. But you have to give the song credit for making you want to get up and run. It would be an understatement to say that it is energizing.

There's really only one reason I chose this song today. This evening, I get to watch Sam and Andrea play softball, so I googled songs about softball / baseball. (I already used Fogerty's "Centerfield" back in March when we went to a Mets' spring training game.) I came upon a link to some softball organization's list of the best walk-up songs, and this song was on the list. I guess because of the energy and the references to running? Well, exhausted by hurricanes and politics and 9/11 remembrances, I was grateful for a song that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, but is upbeat.

"The dog days of summer" refers to the time when Sirius, the dog star, appears to rise just before the sun. This occurs in late July, which is usually the hottest month of the year. This may explain why the phrase has come to refer to those hot and steamy days of summer. It's probably safe to say that the dog days are over now in mid-September . . . although one never knows.

On a different note, my dog days (my time here spent with Luna, the coolest dog in the Rockies) are almost over, as I fly back east tomorrow. Oh, I will miss her!

And I will miss Sam and Andrea, who have provided me with a wonderful visit full of fun and relaxation. And beer. More of that tonight after the ballgame!

Hey, Sam:  run for your mother!