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| JENNY (MY ONLY PICTURE) |
Jenny, Jenny your mom’s
not home
Jenny, Jenny your mom
has gone
Jenny, Jenny you must
be strong
Jenny’s mom
had just recently passed away. I had
never met Jenny’s mom but I had heard she was exquisitely beautiful, extremely
musical, and one lovely, lovely lady.
I do know Jenny. She is elegant and eloquent, and too, exquisitely beautiful. She loves good food and fine wine and is the quintessential high school English teacher.
I do know Jenny. She is elegant and eloquent, and too, exquisitely beautiful. She loves good food and fine wine and is the quintessential high school English teacher.
When I got
home I added the chords to these introductory lines:
Em C Em C [harsh quick strums]
Jenny, Jenny your mom’s
not home
Jenny, Jenny your mom
has gone
Jenny, Jenny you must
be strong
Em Am Em Am
Jenny, Jenny you’re all
alone.
This is a
rather harsh beginning I know, but death is serious and troubling, and I
figured the minor chords and hard quick strums would set the mood.
Tuesday
I wrote verse number one. I knew this
verse ought to begin with the melancholy Dm chord (usually accompanied with Am)
and somehow the F and C seemed to fit the gentle and light strumming necessary
to change the introductory mood.
Dm F
C [gentle and light strums]
Remember songs in the
summer
Remember stories in the
winter
Em Am Em Am
Remember … remember
Dm F C
Remember the leaves in
autumn
Remember the flowers in
springtime
Em Am Em Am
Remember … remember
Since I’d
heard that her mother was very artistic and musical, I assumed she, like Jenny,
would appreciate the Zen of the seasons, thinking Jenny would remember things
about being with her mom different times of the year. I knew I had to keep with just general
descriptions since I really knew no specifics.
It is
difficult for me to think of death without being philosophical. This is my nature. And it happens that Jenny’s love, Darren, and
I are band mates (in Phantom Tide, of which I’ve written about in this blog on
several past occasions). Here is what I wrote Wednesday and Thursday:
Em C Em C
Life is a dream of
phantoms and tides
Oft-times we laugh, oft-times
we sigh
Life is a dream of those left behind
Life is a dream of swimming to sea
I must mention now that this is hardly an unabashed
plug for our band. It fits only because Phantom
Tide performs only original songs, and was so-named because of Darren’s
propensity to write of ghosts and the pain of past loves; whereas, I tend to
write about sunny beaches and green seas.
Also, upon reflection (maybe even introspection) I truly believe that
phantoms and tides really represent our entire existence (a rather
existentialist simplicity I know).
Anyway, all we have in my theory then, is reduced to the yin and yang
memories of past beings and events, and
forever the opportunity to look at the sea, as it represents life (in most
literary circumstances) and the human nature to keep seeking adventure, so to
speak and write.
I needed a change-up, a bridge to transform memories
into Zen moments. All Jenny had to do, I
thought, would be to keep mindful of her natural encounters. I ended the last line with a G chord, which I
hoped would be a somewhat happy note (pun intended), simple and honest.
For further effect, I decided that the lyrics need be expressed
from the voice of her mom. I finished the first draft of the song Saturday morning.
Em F
Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
you’re not alone
Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
your mom’s come home
Em Am Em Am
Listen to the whisp’ring
… listen to the whisp’ring
Jenny’s mom
is reminding her that she will always be there, has actually just passed on to
an amaranthine existence. (Jenny just has to pay Zen-like attention to the
natural susurrations!)
Dm F C
I’m ev’ry song you sing
I’m ev’ry breeze on your skin
Dm F C G
I’m ev’ry blanket that warms you in winter
I’m ev’ry blanket that warms you in winter
I’m ev’ry bloom, that fragrance in springtime
I finished Jenny's song this morning. Her mom's maiden name was, Bloom, which easily fit into my seasonal theme. (I love Phenomenology!)
To wrap, I inserted again, the existential nature of the song, and had Jenny’s mom reaffirm that she would ever be by Jenny’s side.
To wrap, I inserted again, the existential nature of the song, and had Jenny’s mom reaffirm that she would ever be by Jenny’s side.
Em
F Em F
Such is the world of
phantoms and tides
Such is the world of
phantoms and tides
[slow]
Jenny, Jenny I am
forever
Em C Em
By your side
One of her mom’s last wishes she stated to Jenny:
"I don’t want you to associate me with a particular place – I want
you to think of me, everywhere."
Jenny, I do hope I have created some lines that
express this last wish.
 |
JOAN MINTER (NEE
BLOOM)
JANUARY 5TH,
1943 -- OCTOBER 18TH, 2014
Joan, may you rest in peace.
Jenny, here
is your song:
Em C Em C
Jenny, Jenny your mom’s not home
Jenny, Jenny your mom has gone
Jenny, Jenny you must be strong
Em Am Em Am
Jenny, Jenny you’re all alone.
Dm F
C
Remember songs in the summer
Remember stories in the winter
Em Am Em Am
Remember … remember
Dm F C
Remember the leaves in autumn
Remember the flowers in springtime
Em Am Em Am
Remember … remember
Em C Em C
Life is a dream of phantoms and tides
Oft-times we laugh, oft-times we sigh
Life is a dream of
those left behind
Life is a dream of
swimming to sea
[BRIDGE]
Em F
Jenny, Jenny, Jenny you’re not alone
Jenny, Jenny, Jenny your mom’s come
home
Em Am Em Am
Listen to the whisp’ring … listen to
the whisp’ring
Dm F C
I’m ev’ry song you sing
I’m ev’ry breeze on your skin
Dm F C G
I’m ev’ry blanket that warms you in winter
I’m ev’ry bloom, that fragrance in
springtime
I’m ev’ry blanket that warms you in winter
Em F Em F
Such is the world of phantoms and
tides
Such is the world of phantoms and
tides
[slow]
Jenny, Jenny I am forever
Em
C Em
By your side
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