Crossroads

By Clay Hipp

Every road we've walked, and the grace of not walking alone

Stormcloud, 2024— Jan Waldron

Last week on Words That Sing I uncovered (rediscovered?) a song I must have known. I cared a great deal for the artist and his music, and this one sat right there on an album in my own collection. If you heard the show, it was the final selection, and we were blown away when we listened… and then listened again.

I cannot bear to leave it without sharing the poetry and a few thoughts. Not all songs are created equal. For me, this one comes awfully close to the thing I have been talking to you about from the very first — a poet singing about our very deepest selves. Perhaps the epitome of two arts melded into a single whole.

The author sets the stage:

I’ve got nothing on my mind

Nothing to remember

Nothing to forget

And I’ve got nothing to regret

But I’m all tied up on the inside

No one knows quite what I’ve got

And I know that on the outside

What I used to be

I’m not

Anymore

Reflection and Admission

You know I’ve heard about people like me

But I never made the connection

They walk one road to set them free

And find they’ve gone the wrong direction

But there’s no need for turning back

Cause all roads lead to where I stand

And I believe I’ll walk them all

No matter what I may have planned

A Plea for Empathy and Understanding

Can you remember who I was?

Can you still feel it?

Can you find my pain?

Can you heal it?

Then lay your hands upon me now

And cast this darkness from my soul

You alone can light my way

You alone can make me whole

Once again

A Shared Journey — We Are All in This Together; Relationships Are Everything

We’ve walked both sides of every street

Through all kinds of windy weather

But that was never our defeat

As long as we could walk together

So there’s no need for turning back

Cause all roads lead to where we stand

And I believe we’ll walk them all

No matter what we may have planned.

--Don McLean, Crossroads

The Poet's Gift

I dare not pretend to add to or embellish what the poet has given us. I am sure you can discover it all on your own — in something so powerfully told.

If, as I have hinted, mind is indeed memory, I shan't be forgetting this one any time soon… no matter what I might have planned.

Might you find your own story somewhere in these lines? Can you deny the emotional power of poetry?

I believe, more and more, in the wisdom of song.