Wildflowers

Listen while you read:  Tom Petty

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, find you a lover
Go away somewhere all bright and new
I have seen no other
Who compares with you

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, go find a lover
Run away, let your heart be your guide
You deserve the deepest of cover
You belong in that home by and by

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free
You belong somewhere you feel free

~ Tom Petty

What more is there to say about a day that was so painful? Although both of the stories yesterday shared the heartbreak of unexpected death, they could not be more different in their circumstances. As if we didn't hurt enough from the mass murder in Las Vegas, the universe, in all its complexity, flipped us the bird and said, "Had enough? Here, take this!" And Tom Petty died. There is no comparison, really. Tom Petty, who was my age, suffered cardiac arrest, not something unusual to happen to us as we age. Was his death "untimely"? That's a matter of perspective. My father died of cardiac arrest when he was 51. My husband died of cancer when he was 45. People die at all ages of "natural causes." When do we consider their deaths untimely? My mother died at 89 of Alzheimers. It was not untimely.

The mass murder in Las Vegas, however, was untimely, regardless of the ages of the 59 victims. It was not "their time," at least not in any rational sense. There were no "natural causes" responsible. And so our heartbreak is compounded with anger and confusion and a desperate need to understand. Greater than that need, however, is the need to do something. For the White House to say that "now is not the time" to talk about gun control is a statement of pure cowardice. It's way past time.

I have always felt that Tom Petty never reached that pinnacle of fame afforded to so many of our great rock musicians. Perhaps it was because he didn't seek it or need it; perhaps he didn't promote himself toward that goal. He wrote music, he sang songs, he contributed to the soundtrack of our lives. And he did it with humility and love. I took two of my kids to see Petty in concert nine years ago, in 2008. Thinking back on that now, I am grateful that I was able to give them that experience.

The song "Wildflowers" appears on Petty's second solo studio album of the same name, released in 1994. He had this to say about the song: "I just took a deep breath and it came out. The whole song. Stream of consciousness: words, music, chords. Finished it. I mean, I just played it into a tape recorder, and I played the whole song, and I never played it again. I actually only spent three and a half minutes on that whole song. So I'd come back for days playing that tape, thinking there must be something wrong here because this just came too easy. And then I realized that there's probably nothing wrong at all."

"Wildflowers" was a gift. And Tom Petty was a gift to us. I trust that he is now somewhere all bright and new. 

Tom, you belong somewhere you feel free. I hope you've found that place.