Rocktober day 3

[snacky]

So, in a weird case of musical hivemind, marakara and I both picked the same song to share for Rocktober today! Since she posted first, I thought I would change my song, but then I figured there are some of you who don't read marakara and would still appreciate the song, so here it is:

Southern Cross, by Crosby, Stills and Nash
When you see the Southern Cross for the first time / You understand now why you came this way / 'Cause the truth you might be runnin' from is so small / But it's as big as the promise, the promise of a comin' day

Like marakara, I just love this song, and I have ever since the first time I heard, which was when I was 13 years old. I'm not sure what it is about it - maybe it's the combination of running away from a love gone wrong and the seeking of something bigger than yourself on the sea. Or maybe it's the way the song just sounds like sailing to me, if that makes sense - I close my eyes and I can almost smell the ocean, feel the spray, and the boat rocking under my feet.

I have to say, looking at the lyrics now gives me a bit of a twitch, because the narrator seems to be blaming his "woman/girl" problems on some kind of spirituality ("But baby, I cheated because spirits were using me!") and he just knows that someday he'll find that "woman/girl" who will understand the spirits' needs. But hey, it's Stephen "Love the One You're With" Stills, so I suppose it's to be expected. I will just continue to enjoy the song and not listen too closely.

Also, like marakara, I am sharing the video of the song:

Sadly, the video leaves out the ending of the song which includes the lyrics So we cheated and we lied and we tested / And we never failed to fail it was the easiest thing to do / You will survive being bested / Somebody fine will come along make me forget about loving you / At the Southern Cross. But! The video does have some gorgeous sailing footage! And I love how the shadowed profile of David Crosby looks so bored with the whole making-a-video-for-Stephen's-song thing, but the shadowed profile of Graham Nash makes up for it with his enthusiasm.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say about Southern Cross. :D If you've read all that, you deserve a reward, so here's a bonus CSN song:

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Chestnut brown canary, ruby throated sparrow / Sing a song, don't be long, thrill me to the marrow

Another song about one of Stephen Stills' breakups! :D While Southern Cross is my favorite CSN song, I think Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is their best. The harmonies are just gorgeous.