Songs Through the Romance or Curse of the Drink

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Permalink Reply by Ken Brodie on December 26, 2011 at 1:10am

OK How about this for a start - Gerry Rafferty Baker Street - Apparently " It is about a man who dreams of owning a house and living away from his neighborhood, but he is a drunk, and cannot achieve that goal. He drinks to forget what he doesn't have, and never realizes he's a rolling stone with no direction.

This is something I didn't know - I always found this to be an amazingly moving song.

Apparently Gerry also had a battle with the booze.

From Wikipedia

Rafferty had always enjoyed alcohol^{[11][27][19][44]} and early songs, such as "One Drink Down", "Baker Street", and "Night Owl", freely mention the subject. He told friends that his alcoholism dated back to his childhood,^[45] though even people close to him had no idea how it would come to dominate his life. Martha Rafferty believes her father started drinking heavily to cope with the pressures of playing on stage, but says his problem "wasn't obvious" for many years.

Permalink Reply by Chris Moore on December 26, 2011 at 3:07am

Hi Ken and all,

I'm writing here because the 'Curse of the Drink' prevented me, or distracted me away, from making music. I went virtually teetotal just a few years ago and the passion for geetar came back- almost overnight. I've just released my first electro-acoustic instrumental album 'Renaissance'. I'm firmly convinced that all the years of regular daily drinking (red wine every evening after work, to wind down) had suppressed the underlying passion for making music. Was in a band professionally in my younger days, which fizzled out after marriage, mortgage, divorce and then the nail in the coffin was turning to drink. But it sort of crept up on me. My album songs are definitely 'Through the absence of the Drink'. :)

Permalink Reply by Ken Brodie on December 26, 2011 at 5:13am

Good on you Chris. Welcome.

Permalink Reply by Alan Williams on December 29, 2011 at 2:43pm

Hey Chris,  I quit myself about thirty years ago.  I don't miss it one bit now, but it wasn't easy getting to that point.  I do know that there is nothing I could go through that I would be better off if I were drunk.  Good luck.

Permalink Reply by Chris Moore on December 30, 2011 at 4:28am

Hi Alan,

Yep, I feel same way about not going through anything better off drunk. Because the difference is so dramatic, I often wonder if drinking regularly is the thing that keeps us humans sort of 'hooked' and changes the brain chemistry. I'll have to do some research someday because I know alcohol depletes certain vitamins so maybe it affects the daily pyschology and mental attitude.

These days I have 3 glasses of red wine spread over 3 days in the Christmas week, and maybe 1 or 2 glasses  during the year. So I class myself as 99% teetotal. :)

Permalink Reply by Ken Bellingham on December 26, 2011 at 12:38pm

Hi Chris,

   Thanks for sharing your story.  It further reinforces my oft-expressed belief in the therapeutic and rehabilitating benefits of music.  All power to you in romancing your muse instead of the bottle.

   Blessings on you and yours,

   Ken

Permalink Reply by Ken Bellingham on December 26, 2011 at 2:01pm

   Perhaps this one is too obvious to mention, but a popular tune at the end of an evening may be even more fitting at the close of the year.

    The Parting Glass

Oh, all the money that e'er I had, I spent it in good company,

And all the harm that e'er I've done, alas it was to none but me,

And all I've done for want of wit to mem'ry now I can't recall,

So fill to me the parting glass, goodnight and joy be with you all.

 

Oh, all the comrades e'er I had, they're sorry for my going away,

And all the sweethearts e'er I had, they'd wish me one more day to stay,

But since it falls unto my lot that I should rise, and you should not,

I gently rise and softly call, "Goodnight and joy be with you all."

 

If I had money enough to spend and leisure time to sit awhile,

There is a fair maid in this town that sorely has my heart beguiled,

Her rosy cheeks, her ruby lips I own she has my heart in thrall,

Then fill to me the parting glass, goodnight and joy be with you all.

 

   The closing refrain expresses my wish for each of you here on this discussion board.

Permalink Reply by Ken Brodie on December 26, 2011 at 3:53pm

Yes a good one Ken - aaahhhh The Dubliners. This would be one for the romance of the drink.

Permalink Reply by Alan Williams on December 29, 2011 at 2:45pm

These songs could also be about hangovers like "Another Sunday Mourning Coming Down" or "My Head Hurts My Feet Stink and I Don't Love Jesus"