Wednesday 26 January 2011

sundown



when i was born in altona, manitoba, i was issued with a birth certificate, a complete internal prohibition against littering, and a penchant for gordon lightfoot. it's a canadian thing. (if canadians litter - even on another continent, they spontaneously combust. or they should.)

i love sundown - the cadences of the course lines repeated -
first "sundown you better take care if i find you've been creepin' round my backstairs",
second "sometimes i think it's a shame when i get feeling better when i'm feelin no pain",
then back to "sundown..." with a second of "sometimes i think it's a sin when i feel like i'm winning when i'm losing again"
and a grand finale of "sometimes i think it's a shame", two "sundown you better take care"'s and a "sometimes i think it's a sin".

it reminds me of classical poem construction - the ordered repeat of line and/or rhyme, whether sonnet or haiku.

and i love love love the line "i can see her looking fast in her faded jeans". i don't know why.

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