Eloise has yet another summer concert under my belt. After reviewing the list of recent concerts I've attended, I should wear a buckle on it like this:
I've gone to several country themed concerts this year: Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, American Idol (which had lots of country flavor this year), and on Tuesday night, Luke Bryan. I'm far from a country girl though as many would see it when I sport my pink fingernails and high heeled shoes. I'm scared to death of horses and I constantly dis the south on this blog. However it's the west that calls me to trade in my wobbly heels for the more sturdy cowboy boot kind. Western cowboys on those big fat ranches are intriguing. My dad's brother lives in Colorado and I can only recall seeing him a few times in my life. I asked him once why he moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado and I remember him saying, "the west called my name." I kind of get that. As a mom and a teacher I am constantly surrounded by people, usually those under the age of 12. My days are busy and filled with the questions and excitement that children foster. When I have some private time, I do long to be by myself, particularly outside. I love the vastness of being alone in nature with only it surrounding me. It's peaceful. All those cowboys on those western ranches must think the same way when they look to the mountains or the skies. I am sure they appreciate the beauty of nature.
The picture movie above was created with snapshots I gathered on lots of those private moments I took advantage of on my long jogs this summer. You'll see all my favorites: deer, water, and skies. The best one is of the fawn I came across in Cook's Forest a few weeks ago. She's a beauty. I set the photos in motion to Luke Bryan's song, I Knew You That Way, one of my current favorites.
Country songs have caught hold of old Eloise this year. I love them because they tell stories, and this one tells a beautiful one. The lyrics in the beginning really grabbed me the way Luke sings about nature:
The secret way long shadows bleed into the night.
The desperate way leaves in the fall hold colors tight.
The way that thunder knows the taste of summer rain.
I knew you that way.
The way cool mountain waters, dance down to the sea.
Bound by something strong, but still so wild and free.
It gives into the passion of the path it takes.
I knew you that way.
I am no poet, nor have I ever claimed to be, but I do love the way Luke Bryan put those words together to describe nature; shadows bleed and thunder tastes rain. And if you are wondering, yes, Luke Bryan did write the song. I checked.
That's how you know if your singer is the real deal--do they actually write the music and the lyrics along with singing the songs? My curiosity led me to find out a little more about this country singer/songwriter. He is a Georgian in his mid 30's who is on the road to stardom. You can tell he's Georgian (as in USA Georgia, not Soviet Georgia, Slovenians) because he sings about peanuts and tractors and trucks. Luke Bryan's new album Tailgates and Tan Lines was the top selling country album in the US last week, verifying that the consensus is in--Americans like those things, too. I believe that someday I am going to say, "I saw Luke Bryan for 25 bucks at the county fair." He's written songs for Billy Currington and Travis Tritt. That got Eloise a-thinkin'--wondering why a good looking guy such as himself, who could sing so well, spend lots of his career writing songs for other people and not take the show on the road himself. When you read his bio, it says that his career was waylaid a couple of times by the deaths of his siblings; a 39 year old sister, and a brother only a few years older than Luke. With losses of that magnitude one can understand why Luke's getting a bit of a late start by some people's standards. Perhaps that is part of the reason Luke Bryan writes and sings with such emotion.
I love Luke's story and I love that he writes the songs he sings, but most of all it's that ACCENT that gets to me. That heavy, southern one that drags out the vowel sounds and mixes up short i's and short e's. It makes me want to sit next to him on a squeaky swing on some big, wide, Georgia front porch that over looks a peanut farm and have him read me a bedtime story. You'll hear it when you listen to the song--it's part of its appeal.
This post is actually a two-part post. Read this one and also Lesson #83: Accents are Cool. They go together just like the way teardrops know the words to Amazing Grace.
Enjoy the song, Y'all,
Eloise
No comments:
Post a Comment