Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion." - Thomas Paine
"Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you." - John Ruskin
"In matters of the heart, nothing is true except the improbable." - Madame de Stael 

For my twenty-sixth Tune Tuesday, I am going to write about one of my favorite songs ever. I am going to write about a song, that is for a very special occasion today. I am going to pick Billy Joel's first hit song "Piano Man", from 1973, in the honor of his 67th Birthday today. 

The lyrics of this song are so much fun. The first verse goes, "It's nine o'clock on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in. There's an old man sittin' next to me, making love to his tonic and Gin." Then the second verse says, "He says 'Son, can me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes. But it's sad and and it's sweet, and I knew it complete, when I wore a younger man's clothes. Oh la-la-la-de-de-da. La-la-de-de-da-da-da." Then the chorus goes, "Sing us a song, you're the Piano Man, sing us a song tonight. We we're all in the mood for a melody, and you've got us feelin' alright." 

Then the third verse says, "Now John at the bar is a friend of mine, he gets me my drinks for free. And he's quick with a joke, or to light up your smoke, but there's someplace that he'd rather be." Then the fourth were goes, "He says, 'Bill, I believe this is killing me, as a smile ran away from his face. Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star, if I could get out of this place. Oh la-la-la-de-de-da. La-la-de-de-da-da-da." Then the fifth verse says, "Now Paul is a real estate novelist, who never had time for a wife. And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy, and probably will be for life." Then the sixth verse goes, "And the waitress practicing politics, as the businessmen slowly get stoned. Yes their sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone." 

The chorus comes in again, and the seventh verse says, "It's a pretty good crowd, for a Saturday, and the manager gives me a smile. 'Cause he knows that it's me, they've been comin' to see, to forget about life for a while." The eighth and final verse goes, "And the piano, it sounds like a carnival, and the microphone smells like a beer. And they sit at the bar, and put bread in my jar, and say 'Man what are you doin' here?' Oh la-la-la-de-de-da. Oh la-la-de-de-da-da-da." Then the chorus repeats one last time, and then the song ends.

This song is known for three things, its entertaining La-la-ing parts, it's catchy chorus, and of course, the harmonica interludes that come in the beginning before the first verse, after each verse a bit, and after the chorus. That might be one of the most famous harmonica parts ever. 

This song dictates what the fellow Long Islander saw, when he was playing the Piano, as a side gig, in a nightclub. The scenes he saw, naturally happening, inspired him to write a sort of "Fly on the Wall" type of song, as he mentions everyone, a drunk old man, John the bartender, Paul the real-estate novelist, Davy the seaman, the waitresses, the businessmen, the manager of the club, and the patrons of the bar as a whole. 

This song became Billy Joel's signature song. He plays this at every concert that he does, and everyone calls him the Piano Man. We don't just do that for our health here on the Island! This song has been used since 2012, as the sing-a-long song in the eighth inning at Citi Field for the Mets games. They only play it if they are winning by any margin, tied, or if they are losing by a run or two. I have been to three blowout games, two last year against the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, and one this year against the Miami Marlins, and they didn't play the song, which was upsetting.

Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy this song, and get to love it as much as I do, and also the rest of Long Island does! 

Have you ever heard this song before? Did you like this song? Do you like me using Billy Joel song's, or do you want me to get new artists in the Tune Tuesdays?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it." - Michel de Montaigne 
"Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered - either by themselves or by others." - Mark Twain
"We may give without loving, but we cannot love without giving." - Bernard Meltzer

For my twenty-fifth Tune Tuesday, I am going to choose a song that commemorates a huge moment in the history of the United States. I am going to choose another song from Billy Joel. I am going to choose "Goodnight Saigon", to commemorate the 41st Anniversary of the sad Fall of Saigon, which ended the Vietnam War, on April 30th, 1975. 

The lyrics of the song tell the story of soldiers of the Vietnam War, but before the lyrics come in, the backing music is so cool. It starts off with crickets, which symbolizes the jungle of Vietnam, and then the maracas shake for a while, until you hear the rotors of a helicopter, and then the song begins. 

The first verse goes, "We met as soul mates, on Parris Island. We left as inmates, from an asylum. And we were sharp, as sharp as knifes, and we were so gung-ho to lay down our lives." The second verse goes, "We came in spastic, like tameless horses. We left in plastic, as numbered corpses. And we learned fast, to travel light, our arms were heavy but our bellies were tight." 

The third verse goes, "We had no homefront, we had no soft soap. They sent us Playboy, they gave us Bob Hope. We dug in deep, and shot on sight, and prayed to Jesus Christ with all of our might." The fourth verse goes, "We had no camera's to shoot the landscape. We passed the hash pipe, and played our Doors tapes. And it was dark! So dark at night! And we held onto each other, like brother to brother, we promised our mothers we'd write!" Then the chorus goes, "And we would all go down together! We'd say we'd all go down together! Yes we would all go down together!"

Then the fifth verse goes, "Remember Charlie, remember Baker. They left their childhood on every acre. And who was wrong! And who was right! It didn't matter in the thick of the fight!" Then the bridge goes, "We, held the day, in the palm, of our hand. They ruled the night, and the night, seems to last, as, long, as..."

Then the sixth verse comes in immediately with, "Six weeks, on Parris Island. We held the coastline, they held the highland. And they were sharp! As sharp as knifes! They heard the hum of the motors, they counted the rotors, and waited for us, to arrive!" Then the chorus comes in again, and then the song ends, in reverse of how it started, with the helicopter leaving, then the maracas ending, and then just the sound of crickets. 

This song is such a masterpiece, because it talks about both sides of the war, from the American side and the Viet Cong side too a bit. It also talks about the soldiers lives, and how their outlooks changed throughout the war.

I hope that you all enjoy this song, and remember the brave lives lost not just in Vietnam, but in all of our wars. 

Have you ever heard this song before? What do you think of it? Do you think it is a good song, or a bad song?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." - William Blake
"The years teach much, which the days never know." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Love is the energy of life." - Robert Browning

For my twenty-fourth Tune Tuesday, and in keeping with my Birthday week, I am going to choose one of my all-time favorite songs. I am going to choose another song from my fellow Long Islander, Billy Joel. I am going to pick his song, "Vienna", off of his great album, The Stranger.

The lyrics of this song are so interesting. The first verse goes, "Slow down, you crazy child, you're so ambitious for a juvenile, but then so smart, then tell me, why are you still so afraid, Mhm. Where's the fire, what's the hurry about, you better cool it off before you burn it out, you've got so much to do, and only so many hours in a day, hey-ey." Then the first chorus goes, "And you know that when the truth is told, that you can get what you want, or you can just get old, you're gonna kick off, before you even get halfway through, oh-oh. When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"

Then the second and final verse says, "Slow down, you're doing fine, you can't be everything you wanna be before your time, although its so romantic on the, borderline tonight, tonight. Too bad, but it's the life you lead, you're so ahead-a ya self that you forgot whatcha need, though you can see when you're wrong, you know you can't always see when you're right, you're right." Then the second chorus goes, "You've got your passion, you've got your pride, but don't you know that only fools are satisfied. Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true, oh-oh. When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"

Then after a musical break the final chorus comes in with, "Slow down you crazy child, and take the phone off the hook, and disappear for a while. It's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two, oh-oh. When will you realize, Vienna waits for you? And you know that when the truth is told, that you can get what you want, or you can just get old, you're gonna kick off, before you even get halfway through, oh-oh. Why don't you realize, Vienna waits for you? When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"

This song was written by Billy Joel, after he was done visiting his father in Vienna, Austria. This song is about is here in America, we go very fast, and when we get old, we go into homes, or we just rot away, where in Vienna there were 95 year old women doing more work then the younger people. It is about how Vienna waits for you to do your own life, at your own pace. 

It really is a very beautiful song, and I hope that you all can enjoy it as much as I do! 

Have you ever heard this song before? Did you like this song? Do you like the message behind this particular song?

For my twenty-third Tune Tuesday, I am going to pick another excellent Billy Joel song. I am going to choose one that has to do with today being the New York State Primary. I am going to choose Billy Joel's 1976 hit song off of his album Turnstiles, "New York State of Mind".

The lyrics of this song really speak to me, as a New Yorker. The first verse goes, "Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood. Hop a flight to Miami Beach, or to Hollywood. But I'm taking a Greyhound, on the Hudson River Line. I'm in a New York State of Mind." Then the second verse says, "I've seen all the movie stars, in their fancy cars and their limousines. Been high in the Rockies, under the evergreens. But I know what I'm needin', and I don't want to waste more time. I'm in a New York State of Mind." 

Then the bridge goes, "It was so easy livin', day by day. Out of touch, with the rhythm and blues. But now I need a little, give and take. The New York Times, the Daily News." Then the third verse says, "It coms down to reality, and it's fine with me, 'cause I let it slide. I don't care if its Chinatown, or on Riverside. I don't have reasons, I've left them all behind. I'm in a New York State of Mind." Then there is a saxophone break, and then the bridge comes back, followed by the third verse again, with the tag line of the first verse again, "I'm just taking a Greyhound, on the Hudson River Line.", and then the finals words that come out in between piano and sax riffs are, "'Cause I'm in a. I'm in a New York. State of. Mind! Yeah!"

This song is a lot of fun to listen to when you are driving around the Island, or are near or in the city. This is one of my favorite songs of all time from Billy Joel, and I have seen and heard it played live by him a few times, such as at the Final Play of Shea Stadium, the Final Concert at the Coliseum, the 12-12-12 Concert for Superstorm Sandy relief, and at the Concert for New York City after 9/11. 

I chose this song because there is a very big day today, the New York State Primary. I wanted to choose a song that I thought was going to illustrate what the candidates were feeling, and I immediately thought that they were going to be in a New York State of Mind. The other thought was "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra, but that is going to come later in the blog. It was between those two songs, and nothing else, especially no Taylor Swift!

I hope that you all enjoy the song, and that you all are able to get out and vote today!

Have you ever heard this song before? Did you like this song? Was this a good song to choose for today's main event?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "A beautiful woman delights the eye; a wise woman, the understanding; a pure one, the soul." - Minna Antrim
"The soul is the voice of the body's interests." - George Santayana 
"Life in abundance comes only through great love." - Elbert Hubbard
"A woman's mind is cleaner than a man's. She changes it more." - Oliver Herford

For my twenty-second Tune Tuesday, I am going to write about a song that I am so happy to finally use. I am going to choose a song, that is great for this time of the year. I am going to choose the theme song for the 2015 National League Champion New York Mets, with Ruth Roberts and Bill Katz's 1963's "Meet the Mets".

The lyrics of this song are so good. The chorus says this, "Meet the Mets. Meet the Mets. Step right up and greet the Mets. Bring your kiddies, bring your wife. Guaranteed to have the time of your life. Because the Mets are really sockin' the ball, hittin' those home runs over the wall. East side, West side, everybody's comin' down. To Meet the M-E-T-S Mets, of New York Town!"

Then the only verse says, "Oh the butcher, and the baker, and the people on the streets, where'd they go... to Meet the Mets! Oh they're hollerin', and they're cheerin', and they're jumping in their seats, where'd they go... to Meet the Mets! Oh the fans are true to the orange and blue, so hurry up and come on down. 'Cause we've got a ballclub, the Mets, of New York Town. Give 'em a yell, give 'em a hand, and let 'em know you're rootin' in the stands!" Then it goes back to the chorus, and then the song ends. 

I love this song because there is so much joy and happiness in it. This became the first ever song to be written as the official theme song of a professional sports team. The song is played with a few horns, some accompanying sounds, and a banjo. I love singing this song before a Mets game, when you are walking into Citi Field. 

There are a few versions of this song, and I will link them all down below. There is the original one, an instrumental one from 1962, Jane Jarvis' Shea Stadium 1964 recording, a 1970's one used for Channel 9 broadcasts of the games, and an 1984 one, where some of the words are changed. 

I hope you enjoy the many styles of this song, and are able to sing it one day out at Citi Field!

Have you ever heard this song before? Did you know that there where this many versions of this song? Which version is your favorite? (Mine is the 1962 instrumental one)

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "If men were angels, no government would be necessary." - President James Madison
"The past really is almost as much a work of the imagination as the future." - Jessamyn West
"Everything is clearer, when you're in love." - John Lennon

For my twenty-first Tune Tuesday, I am going to write about a song, that I love so much. I am going to write about a song by one of my favorite artists Frank Sinatra. I am going to choose his big hit, "Fly Me To The Moon".

The lyrics of this song are so nice. The first verse goes, "Fly Me To The Moon, let me play among the stars. Let me see what spring is like on, Jupiter and Mars. In other words, hold my hand. In other words, baby kiss me." Then the second verse goes, "Fill my heart with song, and let me sing forever more, you are all I long for, all I worship, and adore. In other words, please be true. In other words, I love you." Then that lyrics repeats itself again, and then the song ends.

I love this song, because the lyrics mean so much. What the lyrics mean is that the mans love for this woman, is so immense, that it can fly him to the Moon, to Mars, and to Jupiter. He loves his woman, and wants to tell everyone about it. I love singing this song all over the place, and we almost sung it in Jazz choir my junior year of high school

I really hope that you all enjoy this song, and get to love it as much as I do!

Have you ever heard this song before? Did you like this song? Have you liked the choices of Frank Sinatra songs in this blog so far?

For my twentieth Tune Tuesday, I am going to write about a song, to get us in the post-Easter mood. I am going to write about another Steven Curtis Chapman song that I learned back in Kellenberg. I am going to write about his country styled song, "The Great Adventure".

The lyrics are so up-lifting. The first verse goes, "Saddle up your horses! Started out this morning, in the usual way. Chasing thoughts inside my head, of all I had to do today. Another time around the circle, try to make it better than the last." The the second verse says, "I opened up a Bible, and I read about me. Said, I'd been a prisoner, and God's grace set me free. And somewhere between the pages, it hit me like a lightning bolt. I saw a big frontier in front of me, and I heard somebody say, let's go!" 

Then the chorus goes, "Saddle up you horses, we've got a trail to blaze. Through the wild blue yonder, and God's amazing grace. Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown. Yes, there's a life like no other, woah, woah, this is the Great Adventure. yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah." 

Then the third verse says, "Come on, get ready, for the ride of your life. Gonna leave long faced religion, in a cloud of dust behind. And discover all of the new horizons, just waiting to be explored. This is what we were created for, yeah!" Then the chorus comes back in, and then goes to a bridge, that says, "We'll travel over, over mountains so high, we'll go through valleys below. Still through it all, we'll find that, this is the greatest journey, that human heart will ever see. The love of God will take us far, beyond our wildest dreams, yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah! Oh, saddle up your horses! Get ready to ride!" Then the chorus repeats one last time, and then the song fades out. 

I love this song, because of the feel that it has. It compares our journey with God, to roaming the plains of the Wild West, on a horse. It is a great analogy, and that is why I love this song. This song also feels like a pop-country song, so I love that genre of music, so that plays into it too.

We used to hear this song at least three times a month back in high school, so I became so familiar with this song, by senior year. It was one of the songs that we picked to be in our senior class Top 10 songs, at the end of our run in Kellenberg.

I hope you all enjoy this song, and get around to loving it as much as I do!

Have you ever heard this song before? Do you guys like it, like I do? Should I do the final Steven Curtis Chapman song that I know, 'Lord of the Dance', or leave that one on the shelf for a while, and go after more Pop songs like Billy Joel's?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well!" - Virginia Woolf
"You are remembered by the rules you break!" - General Douglas A. MacArthur
"It's important for us to latch onto the people that you love." - Connie Stevens

For my nineteenth Tune Tuesday, and in keeping with the theme of Holy Week, I am going to write about a song that I love to sing in church around this time of year. I am going to write about a song that has so much meaning in it. I am going to write about the church song, "Were You There, When They Crucified My Lord?" 

​The lyrics of this song are so beautiful. All of the lyrics are verses, there are no chorus sections of this song, just similar repeating lyrics. The first verse says, "Were you there, when they crucified my Lord? Were you there, when they crucified my Lord? Sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there, when they crucified my Lord?" The second verse says, "Were you there, when they nailed him to the cross (tree)? Were you there, when they nailed him to the cross (tree)? Sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there, when they nailed him to the cross (tree)?" 

Then the third verse says, "Were you there, when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there, when they laid him in the tomb? Sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there, when they laid him in the tomb?" The fourth and final verse says, "Were you there, when the stone was rolled away? Were you there, when the stone was rolled away? Sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there, when the stone was rolled away?"

I love this song so much, because it documents the very basis of my Catholic faith. It illustrates the Passion of Jesus Christ. The lyrics are so beautiful, and the music behind it allows it to build and then recede through the lyrics the same way. The beginning line is very sad, then the second line you sing louder to make it seem more sad, then the third line is sung almost like a remembrance piece, and then the fourth line is then sung like the first one, in a sad tone. 

This song only gets sung around Holy Week, and especially on Good Friday a lot. I always was very reverent when this song was sung in Church, when I was altar-serving. I hope to sing this song in Church this week. I will try to link a good version of the song down below, but it is very hard, because it is a church song, and the covers of it by independent artists aren't that great.

I hope you enjoyed the song, and are able to sing it soon!

Did you like the song choice? Do you like the songs place in the Mass? Have you ever sung this song in your Church? 

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "The greatest healing therapy, is friendship and love." - 38th Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey 
"Everything in the world has been figured out, except how to live!" - Jean-Paul Sartre
"What force is more potent than love?" - Igor Stravinsky 

Because of yesterday's post about my sisters 13th birthday, I did not write my Tune Tuesday. I honestly didn't have a piece of Wisdom to give out today, so I didn't want to skip Tune Tuesday this week, which is a good one. I am going to write about what is known as the quintessential song in Kellenberg. I am going to write about Big Tent Revival's hit song, "Two Sets of Jones'"

The lyrics of this song are very cool. The first verse says, "This here's a song about two sets of Jones', Rothchild, Evelyn, Rueben and Sue. Just for discussion, through random selection, we've chosen two couples who haven't a clue." Then the second verse says, "Rothchild was lucky to marry so wealthy, Evelyn bought him a house on the beach. Rueben and Sue they had nothing but Jesus, and at night they would pray that He cared for them each." 

Then the chorus says, "And the rain came down, and it blew the four walls down, and the clouds they rolled away. Two sets of Jones' were standing that day." Then the third verse says, "Evelyn's Daddy was proud of young Rothchild, he worked the late hours to be number one. Just newlyweds and their marriage got rocky, he's flying to Dallas, she's having a son." Then the fourth verse says, "Rueben was holding a Gideon's Bible, when he screamed "It's a Boy!" so that everyone heard.
And the guys at the factory took a collection, again God provided for bills he incurred." Then the chorus comes in again.

The bridge then says, "So what is the point of this story? What am I trying to say? Is your life built on the rock of Christ Jesus, or on a sandy foundation, you've managed to lay?" Then the fifth and final verse comes in with, "Well, needless to say Evelyn left her husband, Sued him for every penny he had. And I truly wish that those two would find Jesus, before things get worst then they already have." Then the chorus comes in, but now the last line is changed to "One set of Jones' was standing that day." Then it comes in one last time, now its changed again to, "There's Two Sets of Jones'. Which one, will, you be?" Then there is a small 'la-la-ing' section, and then the song ends. 

This song is so beautiful, because the message of this song is that there were two new marriages starting up, one for love with Jesus, and one for 'love', and with money. The one built on faith, was able to last, and the one built on money, was not able to last. The way the song works, is the first lyrics after the chorus is about the bad marriage, and the second verse is about the good one. It shows that faith must be at the center of a marriage, if you want to be happy, and want it to last.

So I hope that you all enjoy this song, and all get around to loving it as much as I do!

​Did you like the song? Do you think it has a good message? Would you want to share this song with others, who might be struggling through a marriage, or just though life?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance." - Buddha 
"The sea hath fish for every man." - William Camden
"All things are artificial, for nature is the art of God." - Thomas Browne