Bad Moon Rising

Listen while you read: It's Friday the 13th!

I see a bad moon a-rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today

Don't go 'round tonight
It's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise

I hear hurricanes a-blowing
I know the end is coming soon
I fear rivers overflowing
I hear the voice of rage and ruin

Don't go 'round tonight
It's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise

I hope you got your things together
I hope you're quite prepared to die
Looks like we're in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye

Oh, don't go 'round tonight
It's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise
There's a bad moon on the rise

~  John Fogerty (for Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Do you suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia? Then this song, from 1969's Green River album from Creedence Clearwater Revival, is for you! And you are not alone in your fear of Friday the 13th, although I cannot claim to share your paranoia. I was born on the 13th, and although my birth was not on a Friday, I have celebrated noteworthy birthdays on Fridays. When I turned 26 (2 x 13) and when I turned 31 (13 backwards), I celebrated on Friday the 13th. And I'm still here to tell you about it.

Fogerty says that he kept a little notebook of song titles, and "Bad Moon Rising" was a title he had before he ever wrote a song to fit it. After the success of "Proud Mary," Fogerty felt pressure to come up with another song right away, and so "Bad Moon Rising" became his mission. His inspiration was a 1941 film noir, The Devil and Daniel Webster, in which the main character sells his soul to the devil. Fogerty specifically recalls a hurricane scene in the film; hence the references to natural disasters.

The song also has one of those acclaimed "misheard" lines. Apparently, "There's a bad moon on the rise" has been misheard as, "There's a bathroom on the right," and Fogerty has even deliberately mis-sung the line while pointing offstage right. It probably provides great relief to those attending a Fogerty concert at a venue that sells beer. (Pun intended.)

But, damn, look at those lines from 1969 and apply them to today! I know the end is coming soon pretty much sums up how I feel every frigging morning when I wake up and Trump is still in the White House.  I hear the voice of rage and ruin. That I can tell you. Believe me. Make America Scared Again.

I'll be taking Fogerty's advice and staying in tonight. How about you?