truth be told

OK, deep breath......
A while back I posted the explanation to lyrics to a popular song.
In case you didn't catch it the first time, here it is again

http://pompatusofpete.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-didnt-he-just-say-that-in-first.html

Basically, I told the story of the hidden meaning behind the lyrics of a popular song. I had dozens (well, maybe not dozens) of people thank me for helping to provide them the insight into what the writer was truly trying to convey in his song. Although it's not true that I will be teaching a course next semester at the Select Institute of Music Professional Lyricists Employers of Maine (SIMPLE ME), it is true that I will occasionally bore you with hidden meanings to other songs (usually when I'm bereft of other things to write about).

As with the first one, this is my interpretation of what the TRUE meaning behind the lyrics are. These are undisputedly accurate. If you don't believe me, that's your cross to bear, not mine.

So...without further ado....(and since I'm just back from the Sunshine state)

Summer Breeze

This was told to me personally by Jim Seals (the one with the goatee) in 1977. Little known fact, Jim was one hell of a basketball player. He shared a backcourt with Pistol Pete Maravich at LSU in the late 60's and probably would have gone on to play in the NBA if it wasn't for the freak accident at Mardis Gras in 1970, that led to his having to wear a cap at all times and never cut his hair for the rest of his life.

An even littler known fact was that Jim lived in a trailer park in Scarborough Maine in the late 70's (actually, he Summered there. Jim was a bit...how shall we say...offbeat).




Jim coached my Summer league basketball team one year when our original coach had to pay off a gambling bet by substituting for that guy that used to guess your weight, or age, or name, or shoe size, down at Old Orchard Beach

....but that's a different story.



I remember the exact moment. It was the last practice of the Summer and I had come in last place in running suicides...which I had every time I ran suicides that Summer...I was feeling a little down (actually looking back on it, I think it was exhaustion), and to make me feel better (and to take my mind off of the iv that was being administered to me) Jim told me the true meaning of this song.


So here it is....

Lyrics in black...my comments in red


Summer Breeze

See the curtains hangin' in the window, in the evenin' on a Friday night.
The curtains were there for a reason. Jim was growing marijuana in the back yard and had thousands of pot plants drying in every room of his house. The curtains were needed for the privacy that he needed to not draw attention from the law...or as he used to say to me, "the Man."

A little light a-shinin' through the window, lets me know everything is alright.
This is a reference to the motion sensitive spot lights that he had throughout the yard.

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
"Summer Breeze" was a euphemism for getting high on marijuana. Amateurs would say things like "wanna get high?"...or "got any weed?"...or so I'm told.

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Jasmine was code amongst growers for marijuana.

See the paper layin' in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door.
The paper was actually Zig Zags, commonly used in the trade to "roll joints"...or so I'm told


So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor.
Being perpetually high, Jim would often forget to open the screen door, just walking through it instead. This added considerable cost to the operation.




Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
subliminal messaging
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
subliminal messaging

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom. July is dressed up and playing her tune.
Summer was the height of the harvest season. Unfortunately there was also a fair amount of product sampling during the harvest. Jim doesn't remember if July was just a misspelling of the name Julie (he vaguely remembers a Julie being around then), or if he was going for a play on words,,,apparently pot affects your memory...or so I'm told.



And I come home from a hard day's work, and you're waiting there, not a care in the world.
Not having a care in the world was obviously another side affect.



See the smile a-waitin' in the kitchen, food cookin' and the plates for two.



See the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through.
Unfortunately the story has a sad ending. The arms that reached out to hold him actually is a reference to the police waiting for him at home to handcuff him. To this day he doesn't know if it was "July" that ratted him out....or possibly the new sign he put out in the front yard.

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Is it working yet?
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Do you have this sudden need to go to the closest 7-11 and pop a burrito into the microwave?
_______________________________________________________________________________


So that's the true story behind the lyrics to Summer Breeze. Who knew that such a seemingly innocent ode to Summer had such a dark side to it.

By the way, Jim was completely drug free the Summer that he coached us. I'm not so sure about his two assistant coaches though...


Have a nice (drug free) day.....