We could hear it
before the shutters were open,
the wind on the beach.
Then we found miniature sand dunes
on the concrete of the balcony
and a dead leaf zig-zagging,
scratching an urgent message in Sanskrit
before hitching a ride on a frisky gust.
A plastic bag caught by a rail
rearing to go, in such a flap
we set it free
to join a page of last week’s news
racing high above the undulating beach,
and the invisible flying sand
casting a fast moving shadow
stroking the beach clean.
Yesterday’s footprints vanished,
replaced by smooth rippling wave formations,
a copy of the sea.
No one walking,
not even the dogs.
I love Mr Wyatt, I only have a little bit of his earlier stuff. I came to him through Cuckooland, which is full of collaborations. The Forest with Dave Gilmour is a lovely song:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SWqKdAgGFA[/youtube]
My favourite is Heaps of Sheeps, an Eno collaboration that for me perfectly captures the madness of insomnia, the frustration at one’s own subconscious, and humourously:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DmiLnQMrGw[/youtube]
For me he’s a perfect combination of artist and craftsman.
sangrain and humean, thanks for the great Wyatt stuff. I loved it (except for Comfortably Numb which I could barely hear).
Wyatt’s The Sea Song was great. I loved the lyrics.
“Your lunacy fits in with my own. You’re not alone.” That ending with sound and sea was great.
Also, the Forest song was ominously awesome. The gypsy girl sings and the bullet head boys religiously hatch their plots. She sings…
Like the sun on the forest
her song rises up, from
the ashes of Auschwitz,
the death camp at Lety,
the white cliffs of Dover,
the song of the Roma
lives on and on…
Trees grow tall
though the winds blow cold,
tall trees grow.
The sounds and instrumentals serve they lyrics well again. That weird sense of movement moves me with it. I love the weirdness and that ending, wheeesshhh.
And you’re right, “Heaps of Sheep” is catchy and amusing.
Now here’s some more jazz you might enjoy, from the great, the one and only, the virtuoso ROLAND KIRK.