It recently was Joni Mitchell’s birthday.
On the morning show on Philadelphia's WXPN, Michaela Majoun started the day-long celebration of her music by featuring
one of the finest covers of a Joni song, “Urge for Going” by Tom Rush.
This song is nothing more than beautiful poetry set to music and the rendition by Tom Rush is pure 60s-70s singer-songwriter excellence.
Hearing it again brought back so many memories of my musical explorations of the 1970s.
I do have Tom Rush’s version in my iTunes and it’s gotten lots of repeated play since hearing it again that morning on XPN.
You can read the poetry below as well as follow the link to a 21st Century performance by Tom Rush.
It is worth 8:30 minutes of your time to listen to and watch the entire video.
The heyday of “The Main Point” in Bryn Mawr was starting to fade by the late1970s, but my wife and I went to hear Tom Rush twice in this legendary coffee house.
In fact, Tom Rush is still performing and will play in Philly in late March at the World Café Live. History of the Main Point here: http://mainpointmusic.com/history/
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“And I awoke today and found the frost perched on the town
It hovered in a frozen sky and gobbled summer down
When the sun turns traitor cold
And shivering trees are standing in a naked row
I get the urge for going but I never seem to go
And I get the urge for going when the meadow grass is turning brown
Summertime is falling down winter's closing in
I had a girl in summertime with summer colored skin
And not another man in town my darling's heart could win
But when the leaves fell trembling down
And bully winds did rub their face down in the snow
She got the urge for going I had to let her go
She got the urge for going when the meadow grass was turning brown
And summertime was falling down and winter's closing in
Now the warriors of winter they give a cold triumphant shout
All that stays is dying all that lives is getting out
See the geese in chevron flight
Flapping and a-racin’ on before the snow
Got the urge for going they've got the wings to go
And they get the urge for going when the meadow grass is turning brown
Summertime is falling down and winter's closing in
I'll ply the fire with kindling; I'll pull the blankets to my chin
I'll lock the vagrant winter out I'll bolt my wandering in
I'd like to call back summertime
And have her stay for just another month or so
But she's got the urge for going I guess she'll have to go
And she's gets the urge for going when the meadow grass is turning brown
All her empires are falling down winter's closing in
And I get the urge for going when the meadow grass is turning brown
And summertime is falling down”
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKfYw2JIvgE
