David Bowie - Memory of a Free Festival
The Children of the summer’s end
Gathered in the dampened grass,
We played Our songs and felt the London sky
Resting on our hands.
It was God’s land.
It was ragged and naive.
It was Heaven.
Touch, We touched the very soul
Of holding each and and every life.
We claimed the very source of joy ran through.
It didn’t, but it seemed that way.
I kissed a lot of people that day.
Oh, to capture just one drop of all the ecstasy that
swept that afternoon,
To paint that love upon a white balloon,
And fly it from the topest top of all the tops that
man has pushed beyond his brain.
Satori must be something just the same.
We scanned the skies with rainbow eyes and saw
machines of every shape and size.
We talked with tall Venusians passing through.
And Peter tried to climb aboard but the Captain
shook his head
And away they soared,
Climbing through the ivory vibrant cloud.
Someone passed some bliss among the crowd.
And We walked back to the road, unchained.
“The Sun Machine is Coming Down,
and We’re Gonna
Have a Party.”
“The Sun Machine is Coming Down,
and We’re Gonna
Have a Party.”
“The Sun Machine is Coming Down,
and We’re Gonna
Have a Party.”
“The Sun Machine is Coming Down,
and We’re Gonna
Have a Party.”
“The Sun Machine is Coming Down,
and We’re Gonna
Have a Party.”
I love this song. It’s interesting because I almost never heard it. It is on the album, Space Oddity, which, oddly enough, is not one of my favorite albums. I usually just skip around the track. I used to commute from Long Island to NYC every day for work right after college. On the LIRR, I would either find myself sleeping, reading, or listening to music. This one day I was feeling kind of blue and I decided to listen to full albums for a change, instead of playlists.
This song came on. I was entranced. There is such a quiet beauty to the beginning and then it ends in a celebration. Being out in a free festival enjoying life is something I always wanted to do but never have. Just not worrying about anything at all and listening to music. Sounds kind of hippy dippy but I like the idea of it. I sometimes think I should have been born in the late 60s.
The lyrics make you feel what he felt while that day took place. It allows me to pretend to be there, because it seems so real. The want to capture it all and preserve it “upon a white balloon.” The idea to hold on to one beautiful memory forever transcends.
That’s one thing about music that I like - the artist might have his own meaning for the song, but each song has its own individual meaning to the listener.
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Check back: I will be doing the 28 Day Writing Challenge every day in February.
