Lyrics to Love::Dream

Late at night in the studio I have to have some sort of background noise. Tonight my noise of choice is a station on Pandora called Contemporary Singer-Songwriters. I like that the sound is not as driving as rock or as boppy as the all 80s mix. Tonight I heard a new (to me) singer named Priscilla Ahn. Her sweet vocals and acoustic guitar were charming. But it was the words of this song that really stood out to me. There is no need to add more to her voice. It is ethereal. I wish that I could sing as purely as she does.

This song brings to mind an image I have of my childhood. We lived at 6609 43rd Avenue North in Crystal, Minnesota. At the end of the street it was a dead end with a deep, wooded ravine. There was a park at the top of this ravine complete with the geodesic dome climbing structure and loads of leaves to tumble around in.

My friends Jill Sandeen and Tamara Graf and I would meet there. I would cruise over on my banana seat bike with the high handlebars and the streamers flowing. The best part about that park was the swings. The slab of rubber held tight with heavy duty chain that clinked together was the tallest structure there. 

We would all try to swing until we would be level with the top of the structure. It always felt that it would topple over, as if it weren't anchored in the ground (likely it wasn't, it was the 70s). There was always someone who called to mind the legend of the boy who swung so high he went all the way over. Twice. We wanted to try that ourselves. When you were swinging out over this lofty slope, it was easy to feel that you could do anything. The wind whistled in your ears, the chains creaked with each pass. And then there is that split second when you let go of the chains and catapult yourself off the rubber launching pad to tuck yourself in and roll to a stop in a pile of leaves. The free fall looked exhilarating. 

I always dreamed I could fly. 

But I never was brave enough to let go.

Until now.

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I was a little girl alone in my little world who dreamed of a little home for me.
I played pretend between the trees, and fed my house guests bark and leaves, and laughed in my pretty bed of green.

I had a dream
That I could fly from the highest swing.
I had a dream.

Long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park, I asked God who I'm supposed to be.
The stars smiled down on me, God answered in silent reverie. I said a prayer and fell asleep.

I had a dream
That I could fly from the highest tree.
I had a dream.

Now I'm old and feeling gray. I don't know what's left to say about this life I'm willing to leave.
I lived it full and I lived it well, there's many tales I've lived to tell. I'm ready now, I'm ready now, I'm ready now to fly from the highest wing.

I had a dream

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Your turn... 

What is a childhood memory that you recall?

Do any of these lyrics speak to you? Which one? What is is saying to you?

Do tell!