I was listening to The Kinks album this afternoon called "Muswell Hillbillies." Muswell was the London, England neighborhood where my favorite band The Kinks grew up. I had added two songs by The Kinks to the very end of my book. They are quite spiritual songs for a rock-and-roll band. I went to a Kinks fan web site to copy and paste the lyrics. While I was on the site I checked out the up-coming touring schedule of Ray Davies, the genius songwriter of the group. As it turned out he will be touring the UK the first week in October, the very same time I will be doing a speaking tour in England.
I quickly sent an e-mail to Dave Webb (Global Network web master and board convenor) in Leeds asking him if there was any way my speaking tour schedule would allow me to see Ray Davies perform. Dave immediately wrote back and said yeah he thought it could work and that he'd like to go as well. He said, "Just got a copy of the Muswell Hillbillies album." Amazing! Could we say that we are on the same wave length? This one was meant to be for sure.
In honor of that I'll post the two Kinks songs that I am adding to my book. The words are beautiful but the music that goes with them is extraordinary. Brings tears to my eyes every time.
NOW AND THENIn the beginning of it all there was the land
And the sea and the sky
Then into the middle of it all there came man
To live on the land.
And then a great nation
Put into operation an evolutionary plan
Now mighty corporations and politicians rule the land
Wish I could remember when
We were more innocent
Than all of those violent bitter men.
The world was much younger then
But we were much wiser then.
Before we were full of discontent.
It's too bad the simple ways came sadly to an end
I guess that's the difference between now and then.
In the beginning of it all there was the land.
We were much younger then
But we were much wiser then
We never questioned why or when
One day we'll be born again
Our lovers and friends will remain
To live in a world without suffering and pain
And I can see a day when enemies are friends.
And there'll be no distance between now and then.
In the beginning of it all there was the Land.
By Ray Davies
The Kinks
GOD’S CHILDRENMan made the buildings that reach for the sky
And man made the motorcar and learned how to fly
But he didn't make the flowers and he didn't make the trees
And he didn't make you and he didn't make me
And he got no right to turn us into machines
He's got no right at all
'Cause we are all God's children
And he got no right to change us
Oh, we gotta go back the way the good lord made us all
Don't want this world to change me
I wanna go back the way the good lord made me
Same lungs that he gave me to breath with
Same eyes he gave me to see with
Oh, the rich man, the poor man, the saint and the sinner
The wise man, the simpleton, the loser and the winner
We are all the same to Him
Stripped of our clothes and all the things we own
The day that we are born
We are all God's children
And they got no right to change us
Oh, we gotta go back the way the good lord made...
Oh, the good lord made us all
And we are all his children
And they got no right to change us
Oh, we gotta go back the way the good lord made us all
Yeah, we gotta go back the way the good lord made us all
By Ray Davies
The Kinks