Concert stripes
When I was 4 years old I held my first public concert. The stage was the bank, the audience was people queuing (who had no real choice), and the main song, the only song, was Lavender’s Blue – “dilly dilly”. I do not remember this moment, but oh how I wish I did. I’d love to bottle those potent feelings of passion, courage, determination and achievement, yet instead I took the story from my mum and bottled it in my own bank, my memory bank. It may be a little warped but this story has given me power and strength over time. “If I could do that when I was 4 I can do anything now…that is the real me, that’s what is inside.” Ultimately “I will be me and will not be scared”.
Knowledge is power.
These days I sing in the supermarket. Marrickville Metro Woolies has a great pop playlist – a smorgasbord of Rick Astley, Belinda Carlisle, Maroon 5. I sing out loud, I don’t care, it makes me happy. Really happy. Subconsciously, it probably takes me back to the bank when social norms had yet to take hold on my vocal chords.
My eldest sister first introduced me to the phrase ‘knowledge is power’ when she sent a card to me as I embarked on new adventure at university. I displayed the card proudly, centre stage on my huge pin board. There it sat for one whole year watching as I morphed into the new adult me. I looked back at it regularly, absorbing her advice, copying her handwriting (that z!), and communicating to new faces that I had a really cool wise older sister (one of two actually – how lucky am I?) I kept that card for decades. It really resonated with me. Still does. Ta sis!
Another poignant memory I have of singing, is when I was informed, along with fits of giggles, that the fly from the song which goes ‘shoo fly don’t bother me’ was not actually a ‘shoe fly’ – I mean what even is a shoe fly? What was I thinking? I think I was a teenager when this devastating news hit me. In my mind I had vividly imagined a little buzzing fella hanging around a smelly shoe. Oh the curse of the English language and learning by phonetics.
Knowledge is power. I was brought down that day.
But these days I am back up! I have the knowledge. Recently I saw a band play live and it was truly amazing when so many puzzle pieces slotted into place in my mind over the two hour set. What made the concert so much more poignant for me was that a few hours before the first stage fx went boom!, I had the pleasure of hearing the main singer talking about the band’s experiences and some of the stories behind the songs. No mention of a bank, but there were mentions of passion, courage, determination and achievement. Being yourself!!! The relevance of these messages was so powerful, the timing was perfect, I felt truly privileged and my eyes, and ears, are now fully receptive.
Admittedly I felt a bit guilty not finding out the meanings behind the songs prior to the gig, I felt a bit selfish and childish just enjoying the melodies and going ‘I love this song! This is my song!’ That’s so lame. Sorry musicians and songwriters. It doesn’t happen all the time but I have been known to love the melody of a good chorus or a clever rhyme, without looking deeper. But now I have the knowledge.
I have more knowledge than yesterday.
I have more power than yesterday.
Knowledge is power.
Stripes and leaves xxx
Light stripes
Stripes & Trees 