Emily: "Mom, we're singing a song in choir: 'Song Sung Blue.' Do you know it? "
Me: "Oh yeah, I love Neil Diamond: Song Sung Blue, La lala la la la or something. Let's look it up on itunes."
And there it was.
Suddenly, I wasn't in Australia any more.
"Song sung blue. . . "
I am in Fort Greeley Alaska, and it's 1979. My socks have slipped down and are bunched up at the bottom of my boots - my water boots, because it's spring time and everything is wet with melting.
"everybody knows one. . ."
I find a marble I lost in our golden shag carpet.
"Me and you, are subject to the blues now and then. . . "
My hands are stained yellow from picking dandelions. I can taste the dandelions because I forgot to wash my hands before I ate grilled cheese sandwich (with tomato soup.)
"Weeping like a willow. . ."
I can feel the sun on my shoulder, always coming in at an angle, making long shadows like it does up north. I can hear the theme song from "Mash" in the background.
"Funny thing, but you can sing it with a cry in your voice. . . "
My bell bottoms (the ones with the heart patches on the knees) are wet from playing in the run-off, so my mom tells me to take them off before I take a nap - in my wonder woman underoos. I am looking at my "Bambi" book and listening to the tape, listening for the chimes "trrrring" to turn the page, but I'm tired and never even make it past "your mother can no longer be with you - man has taken her away. . ." before drifting to sleep on my Holly Hobby bed spread.
"And before you know it, start to feeling good. . ."
My dad is walking through the door in his army uniform. Becki and Kim and I are singing "I'm so glad when Daddy comes home" and climbing up onto his lap as he sits in his orange velour rocker/recliner (the one my mom bought him for Father's Day). He manages to take off his glasses before we get to "a great big kiss."
"You simply got no choice. . . "
Emily: Yep, that's the one.
Me: Yeah. I think I'll buy the whole album.
Thank you, Neil Diamond, for writing the background music of my childhood.
