Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling on Christmas Eve
I stood behind her in the frozen food
And I touched her on the sleeve
She didn't recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried
We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totaled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation lagged
We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn't find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car
We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
We tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how
She said she's married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didn't like to lie
I said the years had been a friend to her
And that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasn't sure if I saw
Doubt or gratitude
She said she saw me in the record stores
And that I must be doing well
I said the audience was heavenly
But the traveling was hell
We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
We tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how
We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence
Another "Auld Lang Syne"
The beer was empty and our tongues were tired
And running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out
And I watched her drive away
Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned into rain
~ Dan Fogelberg
I like songs that tell a story. This one, by Fogelberg's admission, is completely autobiographical. He was visiting his family in Peoria, Illinois, one Christmas and was sent out to get whipped cream for the Irish coffee. In a convenience store, he ran into his high school girlfriend, who was there to pick up some eggnog. The rest of the story is true, except that Jill, the girlfriend, had green eyes, not blue, and married a gym teacher, not an architect. She came forward as the girl in the song after Fogelberg died in 2007. First released as a single, the song was then included in 1981's The Innocent Age.
Fogelberg was a wonderful singer/songwriter, and I can still remember seeing him in concert back in the 70s. Songs like "Leader of the Band" and "Run for the Roses" are heartfelt and emotive. And although our stories may involve different landscapes and circumstances, we have all been surprised at some point to run into someone from our past, as in this song. It is always fun to share our memories of a time long gone, but inevitably, we run out of things to say and come to the conclusion that perhaps our connections lie only in the past. And that's okay.
We are nearing the end of another year, and it demands reflection. In two more days, we'll be singing "Auld Lang Syne," a song that nobody really understands, but if you're drunk enough, it sounds good and fitting to the occasion. The literal translation of the phrase is "old long since," but it means something akin to "times gone by."
Writing this blog has often allowed me to be reflective of people and places I have known, as the music so easily transports me to earlier times. I'm sure it does for you, too, judging by the many times your comments have revealed a memory that a song has inspired. Cherish those memories, but please continue gathering new music, because there are future memories to be discovered from those songs.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne
Drink up!
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