Friday 5 (or More) - You Too?

 I wandered over to Friday 5 today and, as always, was glad that I did. Scrivener is in fine form today. Here is what he had to say -

"Here are six questions taken directly from lyrics by U2. Because I’m in a U2 kind of mood today. I’m offering six because I have a feeling everyone will consider at least one of these questions pretty lame, so pick your favorite five of the six."

I'm going to answer all six!

1. Is it getting better, or do you feel the same? (from “One”) - I want to believe it is getting better. It almost has to be. Still...I guess as long as it doesn't get any worse, I can live with feeling the same.

2. Do you shiver when you dream? Is there a pounding in your heart? (from “You’re the Only One that’s Real”) - This makes me think of vivid dreams that you awaken from with a start and remember long after your day has begun. That doesn't happen to me very often. Very little shivering and heart pounding in my dreams. Daydreams? I maybe could get myself a little worked up, if I'm willing to put in the effort....

3. Is the sweetest melody the one we haven’t heard? Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear? (from “I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”) - I think I've heard some pretty sweet melodies, but the unheard ones are unknown...could be awful, could be great. I will let you know after I've given them a listen. Perfect love now...what is that? But I don't get the feeling that anything drives out all fear.

4. Do you feel anything at all? (from “Miracle Drug”) - I feel everything. Ugh.

5. It’s gonna itch and burn and sting; do you want to see what the scratching brings? (from “Staring at the Sun”) - I guess I do want to see what the scratching brings. Not that I want to draw blood or anything, but who can resist scratching an itch?

6. Do you feel loved? (from “Do You Feel Loved?”) - I feel loved. Sometimes it seems more of an abstraction than a reality. But...I don't feel unloved, let's say.

Bonus Dan Fogelberg question:   I have debated the tone of the final line in Fogelberg’s “Same Old Lang Syne.” I contend that “and as I turned to make my way back home, the snow turned into rain” is a sad, sad, sad lyric. Most of my friends say that while it is certainly wistful, it’s not an unpleasant wistfulness that the persona communicates. Some go so far as to say it’s kind of a happy thing, like looking back and seeing how far you come and how much you’ve grown because you sometimes need reminders of your past to illustrate it. My question for anyone who cares to expound (call it a Friday 6) is: is that a happy note or a sad note that Fogelberg ends on?

I guess I've mostly thought of that as a wistful ending. The snow makes everything kind of magical, in the same way that our past can acquire a sparkle over the years. When it turns into ordinary, slogging rain...it isn't tragic, but that soft focused view of the world of our youth is gone and we're ourselves again, stuck in our imperfect present.

So, there you have it...my Friday 5 6, with Bonus Dan Fogelberg thought!  Hope this entertained anyone stopping in. Please feel free to ponder the mysteries of U2 and Mr. Fogelberg on your own blog or in comments 2!