How strange!?
First there is a mountain and then there isn't one and then later there is one. How odd and unexplainable. You see there's a song that goes:
First there is a mountain,
Then there is no mountain,
Then there is.
First there is a mountain.
Then there is no mountain,
Then there is.
He repeats this many times, as if it were so. and then he adds another verse:
Caterpillar sheds his skin,
You'll find a butterfly within.
Caterpillar sheds his skin,
You'll find a butterfly within.
You can listen for yourself if you like at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37r07eg867Y
It's a song by Donovan, just plain Donovan like Elvis. His last name is Lietch. Cary Grant's real name is Archibald Leach. Different spelling and Donovan is Scottish. thus the Scottish invasion. Oh yes, there was also a Polish invasion via Bobby Vinton. He was the Barry Manilo of the '60's. Then there was the redneck invasion headed up by Bobby Goldsboro and "Wicked" Wilson Pickett from Alabama. Not together. That would be like Manilo and Springstein. Can't see Bobby singing Funky Broadway or Pickett singing Me and God are Watching Scottie Grow.
Anyway Donovan started out like a groovy Bob Dylan and then started mixing his fruits and vegetables and became a little out there. It's been said if you remember the sixties, you weren't there. Well, I was there and I do remember them, but I was an innocent bystander! Honestly, Atlanta Georgia was not one of the top ten hip scenes. I played as big a part in the hippie movement as I did the Vietnam movement. Both were dangerous territory.
Yes, we are far afield. In the bible, a mountain is often a safe place or a place of refuge. A mountain is a strategic place to fight your battles from. A mountain may also represent an insurmountable obstacle. Perhaps a period of time in one's life. The main thing I want you to know is that I can't explain this song. Maybe I'll try to interpret Ode to Billie Joe. Check this next link. It's Donovan and Bobbie Gentry singing, First there Is A Mountain. Bobbie Gentry was a groovy country girl singer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uGnEc0DhY4
First there is a weekend,
Then there is no weekend,
Then there is!
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2 comments:
Hi there,
Interesting post. I thought I'd just add that, in my perusing of Buddhist sutras, I discovered that the whole Mountain phrase that Donovan sings is a Zen saying that relates to a Buddhist text known as the Heart Sutra.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Sutra
Thanks for the comment. Not surprising, but I didn't know the history. Stay cool!
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