Sunday, April 03, 2005

oxygen/willy mason



A switch has been activated in my mind. All I can think about is where I'll be able to take photos next. I've made a list of upcoming events and opportunities. I am very happy.

I've fallen in love with this song:

Oxygen by Willy Mason

I want to be better than oxygen,
so you can breathe when you're drowning and weak in the knees.
I want to speak louder than Ritalin,

for all the children who think that they've got a disease.
I want to be cooler than TV,
for all the kids that are wondering what they're going to be.
We can be stronger than bombs
if we're singing along and you know that you really believe.
We can be richer than industry
as long as we know that there's things that we don't really need.
We can speak louder than ignorance
cos we speak in silence every time our eyes meet.*

On and on and on it goes,
the world it just keeps spinning.
Until I'm dizzy,
time to breathe,
so close my eyes and start again.

I want to see through all the lies of society,
to the reality,
happiness is at stake.
I want to hold up my head with dignity,
proud of a life where to give means more than to take.
I want to live beyond the modern mentality,
where paper is all that you're really taught to create.
Do you remember the forgotten America,
justice, equality, freedom to every race.
Just need to get past all the lies and hypocrisy,
make-up and hair to the truth behind every face.
Then look around to all the people you see,
how many of them are happy and free?
I know it sounds like a dream
but it's the only thing that can get me to sleep at night.
I know it's hard to believe but it's easy to see
that something here isn't right.
I know the future looks dark
but it's there that the kids of today must carry the light.

On and on and on it goes,
the world it just keeps on spinning.
Until I'm dizzy,
time to breathe,
so close my eyes and start again.

If I'm afraid to catch a dream,
I weave you baskets and I float them down the river stream.
Each one I weave with words I speak,
to carry love to your relief.

*typing those words made me think of something that happened today:

I was sitting down in the Myer Centre watching people and drinking some bubble tea. A bright yellow jacket caught my eye, it was a tall man with salt and pepper hair and big blue eyes selling 'The Big Issue'. I watched him as he saw the girls in The Body Shop to change some money and had a chat with them. As he came out, he paused at the doorway, looking around as he straightened up things in his bag. As I was watching him his gaze slowly found me and we smiled at each other. I wanted to buy a copy so I kept smiling and sat up straight (meaning 'Are you selling?'). He lifted his eyebrows (meaning 'do you want to buy a copy?'), I widened my smile (meaning 'absolutely!') and reached for my wallet as he grinned and walked over. He slid a copy of 'The Big Issue' onto my table, I slid the money towards him. I love that the transaction was almost completed sans spoken words. All done with our eyes and body language.

I'd like to communicate like that all the time.

I wish I'd taken his photo.

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