Songs and Memories

Okay, so I meant for my last post to be semi-romantic and inspirational to myself, but it wasn't so much. Josh requested that I write one that was more for his entertainment, so I will try to say "penis" or something in this post.

When I work, I think. Well, today I was helping my dad clean out the ditches from the tit-tall grass that has overtaken. I started thinking of songs and memories. I have always been amazed how a song or a band can be tied to a person, place, or event. There are bands I love just because it reminds me of a certain time in life, and there are others I dislike because it reminds me of a person.

I remember going to work with my Grandpa Hatch to check on the sulfur docks when I was a kid. There is a little shack by the railroad tracks just outside of Powell where we stopped so Grandpa could check on everything. I remember him telling me to watch out for rattlesnakes. I was just excited that we saw some rabbits that had gotten into the building. Later, as we drove by the Homesteader Park baseball fields, Kathy Mattea's "Ball and Chain" and later on that trip Randy Travis's "On the Other Hand" played. I've always tied those songs to my grandpa.

I remember going pheasant hunting with Dad and David over at Yellowtail. We always leave to go hunting well before the butt-crack of dawn. In between sleep and staring at the stars I recall hearing a "Heart Like a Wheel" and "Broken Arrow" songs on the radio. I had them alternatingly stuck in my head all day as we parked below the old corrals (before they closed the road to traffic). I still remember taking pictures with David in our camo by an old cottonwood tree.

Smashing Pumpkin's "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" with Niederhauser and Casey at a wrestling meet in Thermopolis in high school. Ryan introducing me to Bush on our way back from the Jackson Hole cross-country trip--I couldn't get enough of "Come Down". In fact, it is still one of my favorite songs. I had to buy The Wallflowers at state track my senior year. I listened to the CD the whole way home from Casper.

I had an ex-girlfriend from years ago. I remember driving in my old Hyundai Elantra with Ryan and Kix. It was early in our relationship and we were listening to the newest (at the time) Offspring album. When the song came on that whose lyrics states "My friend has a girlfriend and he hates that bitch....", my ex said, "Wow, that's real nice." I just laughed. She was my first love and she loved Metallica. I still can't figure out why she thought Lars Ulrich was hot. Anyways, after we broke up, I hated Metallica.

When I moved to Oregon, there were two songs that I heard over and over again on the radio. "Better Man" by Pearl Jam and "Hemorrhage" by Fuel. It was a huge change for me. These songs still remind me of the significance of the move to Oregon.

I could go on and on about what songs remind me of what. I hope all of you have songs that bring you joy just by the memory it holds.


Oh, yeah, "penis"