Photo: D. Paul Graham, Check Your Surroundings, circa 2021

“Monday 5 Things”™…..Backroads and Lyrics…..

I took the backroads from Watkins Glen up to Syracuse a couple of weeks ago. Well, there actually is nothing but back roads on that journey, but that’s a mere detail. Beautiful vistas of the finger lakes, a surprising number of vineyards, and rolling upper New York state roads made for a most pleasant two-hour drive. Along the way, I enjoyed some Classic Rewind on Sirius XM, and if you know me at all, this involved singing at the top of my lungs to the point of a rather hoarse voice by the time I reached my hotel. Today, M5T shares some of the more notable lyrics that struck my fancy.

1. Counselling.

“I’d like to find your inner child and kick its little ass” ~ Eagles. ‘Get Over It’. Released twenty-seven years ago, the Eagles could well have been talking to snowflakes everywhere today… quityerbitchin’ and get on with life.

2. Keep it Real.

“Act your age woman, not your shoe size” ~ Tom Jones and Art of Noise, ‘Kiss’. Tom has always been cool… very cool, but this song (and an ultra-cool video) revived his career in 1989. In relationships, drop the fronts and the superficial. Just be yourself and know that you are even more beautiful with age. ‘Think I’d better dance now’.

3. Old Flames.

“We drank a toast to innocence / We drank a toast to now / And tried to reach beyond the emptiness / But neither one knew how” ~ Dan Fogleberg, ‘Same Old Lang Syne’. The innocence of a long-lost love contrasted with a present hollow life and thoughts of what could have been; perhaps what should have been. One of those songs that brings me to tears every time I hear it.

4. Being Aware.

“Turn around and say good morning to the night” ~ Elton John, ‘Mona Liza and Mad Hatters’. I marvel at the beauty of songs written by Sir Elton and Bernie Taupin and how music and lyrics written separately remain timeless today. The complex connotations behind this song about New York in the 70’s could be a M5T on its own. I simply love the beautiful imagery of this line; of the need to slow down from a constant frenetic pace; of being aware of what is around me; of saying good morning to the night each and every day.

5. Deep Breaths.

“Long you live and high you fly / Smiles you’ll give and tears you’ll cry /
All you touch and all you see / Is all your life will ever be.” Pink Floyd, ‘Breathe’. Appreciate all that is around you. Break away from the mundane. Love deeply. Live fully, your life, your way.

Here’s to a lyrical week of memories, of living in the moment, of laughing, of embracing, and of loving wherever your backroads take you.

© 2021 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

D. Paul Graham is passionate about people, culture, photography and business. He has embraced his wanderlust with his travels around the globe and is at peace with his need for spirited drives in all things automotive.

You can find M5T each Monday here on www.southmag.com and by friending D. Paul Graham on Facebook. Paul is also a contributing photographer to South Magazine. His photographic work can be found on Instagram @dpgraham and at www.imageGRAHAM.com . Your feedback is always welcome. Email Paul at dpg@imagegraham.com