SONG OF THE WEEK – THE REMEMBER SONG

I just finished reading a book called Natural Born Heroes by Christopher McDougall.  It is about how a group of Cretan resistance fighters and British agents kidnapped a German general during World War II … and about nutrition … and Wing Chun … and Pankration … and the Natural Movement movement … and Parkour … and metabolism …  I found all the various parts to be fascinating, although they did not eventually come together in the pages as they must have in the author’s mind.

I know that my writing is often in that mode.  I tend to digress so that those with not enough time on their hands say, “Get to the point, already.”  Well, as a warning, this week’s look at the “Remember Song” is not a metaphoric straight line going directly to a defined and specific point.

In a comment to last week’s Song of the Week, I mentioned forgetting where I had put a hammer.  Then I sort of remembered a song called “The Remember Song,” but I couldn’t remember too much about it except that I had only ever heard it performed by Tom Rush a few years ago.

I did a bit of research and learned that a lot of other people know about the song because it has “gone viral” on YouTube with nearly 7 million viewings.  Tom Rush said that when he first heard about the popularity he was afraid that he had contracted Ebola, though his daughters finally convinced him that “going viral” is a good thing.

Various articles about the song say that it was written by Steve or Steven or Stephen Walters.  I did not know who that was, so I did a bit more research and found Mr. Walters’ website, where one can hear him sing the first verse of the song under the title “Remember?”.

More interesting than the song was the following information from his biography:

“For twenty years he enjoyed a career on the road as a professional guitarist and vocalist in blues and country music bands. In 1993, after being diagnosed with leukemia and told he had 24 hours to live, Steven began a period of intensive meditation. Miraculously, he became strong enough to receive a bone marrow transplant and make a full recovery. Inspired by this second chance, in 1995 Steven began to truly live his dream, giving up the smoky bars and club circuit to perform his original music”  [Emphasis added.]

The Ralston Creek Review website was begun in August of 2011 to record, for the benefit of whomever may have the opportunity to donate stem cells for another person, my experience in being a stem cell donor for my brother.  He had a condition known as myelofibrosis in which bone marrow cells are replaced with fibrous tissues.  This affects the body’s ability to make blood cells since that is one of the functions of the bone marrow.  For many years, the only possible cure was a bone marrow transplant.  More recently, a stem cell transplant has been the preferred procedure.  For someone over the age of 55 (as my brother was) there is about a 50-50 chance of living for more than a year after the transplant and somewhat less of a chance to surviving for two years.  If a patient can get through those first two years, the odds are quite good that he or she may have a normal lifespan.

The scariest thing about the transplant for the recipient is that before receiving the donor cells, he or she must undergo intense chemotherapy to kill essentially all bone marrow cells, whether normal or fibrous.  When that is completed the the donor cells are transplanted with the hope that they will soon engraft.

My brother went through all of that, achieved engraftment and began to recover quite well.  However, at the end of the first year, he learned that he had developed acute myeloid leukemia, probably as a result of the chemotherapy and continuing medications he had had to suffer.  The leukemia ultimately ended his life a few months later.

This is the first Song of the Week post for September 2015, so I would like you all to remember that September is National  DNA, Genomics and Stem Cell Education and Awareness Month.  There is a wealth of material available on the internet about stem cells and their use in treatment of various conditions.  You can learn a few things by going to the “Stem Cell Donor” category on this website.

And speaking of things remember, we return to this week’s “The Remember Song.”

What would you say is the theme song for Baby Boomer’s?  Is it “Born To Be Wild” or “Get Together?  Perhaps “My Generation” or “When I’m 64”?  Anymore, I am thinking that it might be “The Remember Song,” but I really can’t recall.

 

The Remember Song (or Remember?)
By Steven Walters (as sung by Tom Rush)

I’m looking for my wallet and car keys
….Well they can’t have gone too far
Just as soon as I find my glasses
….I’m sure I’ll see just where they are.

Supposed to meet someone for lunch today,
….but I can’t remember where.
or who it is that I am meeting
….it’s in my organizer some-where.

I might have left it on the counter,
maybe outside in the car
The last time I remember driving,
was to that memory enhancement seminar.

What’s that far off distant ringing,
And that strangely familiar tone?
Must be the person I am meeting,
calling me on my brand new cordless telephone.

I might have left it under the covers,
maybe outside on the lawn
and I’ve got just one more ring to go,
before my answering machine kicks on.

Hi, this is Tom and your call means a lot to me,
so leave a message at the tone…
and I’ll do my best to try to remember
to call you back when I get home

*Beep*

Tom, this is Gwendolyn,
and I’m trying not to cry.
but I’ve been waiting here for over an hour,
I thought you loved me, this is goodbye.

Well…the voice sounds familiar,
…,and the name it rings a bell.
……
Let’s see now, where was I,
…..
……Oh well.

© StevenWaltersMusic.com – Ishvara Music LLC

5 thoughts on “SONG OF THE WEEK – THE REMEMBER SONG

  1. Louie, this is a good one. My only comment is that this was recorded at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay in San Diego. A marvelous venue where I have seen many great concerts such as…………….um…..and others like that.
    As far as a boomer song, the last verse to Nothing but a breeze seems to ring true these days.
    Wait, I think I saw…..No that was somewhere else……..

    • I may have been at one of those concerts you attended. I’m not sure, but I think I remember being somewhere right around whenever that was. It’s great to reminisce isn’t it?

      And, yes, the last verse of “Nothing But a Breeze” seems appropriate these days. The whole song would be a good choice.

  2. A metaphoric straight line going directly to a defined and specific point is highly over-rated, as is memory when you reach the age when you’ve had enough experience to have had some you’d rather not care to remember.

    Yes, things rarely come together on my pages as well as they do in mind, and it only gets worse when those pages get published and are then seen as being representative of what’s going on in my head. If memory were content to remember lessons learned without details I’d like it more. At this point in my Boomer’s life I keep trying to remember that the past is in the past and should be left where it belongs, but I keep forgetting that. I keep remembering it.

    There, that’s garbled enough to be ready for publication. My work is done here. Or is it? Oh, yeah, a Boomer theme song. I’ll get back to you on that. I forgot what a Boomer is.

    • I had some other reasons for choosing this song. One day last week I was supposed to meet someone for lunch somewhere – someone months younger than me – and when she didn’t show after a few minutes, I called; and she said “Huh?” Also, a nonprofit organization with which I am peripherally involved missed a filing deadline; and when I pointed it out, those folks – most of whom are also younger than me – said, “Huh?” I can’t figure out what is happening in these instances. Look at me. I still have a mind like a steel….um….whatchamacallit….you know….animal thingy…..um….

      Where was I?

      Oh yeah, Boomers’ theme song. Other possibilities include the Grateful Dead’s “Touch of Grey” and Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade of Hair.”

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