Distaff Day was the first day after the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas and marked by women, because their work at the distaff was then meant to be resumed. "The duty seems to have been considered a dubious one, and when it was complied with, the ploughmen, who on their part scarcely felt called upon on this day to resume work, made it their sport to set the flax a-burning; in requital of which prank, the maids soused the men from the water-pails." See HERE.
Following the thread....to a song, it is Music Monday:
Spinning Wheel, written by Canadian vocalist David Clayton-Thomas, of the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. He described the song, released in 1969, as being "written in an age when psychedelic imagery was all over lyrics...it was my way of saying, 'Don't get too caught up, because everything comes full circle.'"
What goes up, must come down
Spinnin' wheel, got to go round
Talkin' 'bout your troubles it's a cryin' sin
Ride a painted pony,
Let the spinnin' wheel spin
Ya got no money, and ya
Ya got no home
Spinnin' wheel all alone
Talkin' 'bout your troubles and
Ya never learn
Ride a painted pony,
Let the spinnin' wheel turn
Did you find a directing sign
On the straight and narrow highway?
Would you mind a reflecting sign
Just let it shine, within your mind
And show you the colours that are real.
Someone is waitin' just for you
Spinnin' wheel spinnin' to
Drop all your troubles by the river side
Catch a painted pony
On the spinnin' wheel ride...
Vocal David Clayton Thomas, arranged by saxophonist Fred Lipsius, and produced by James William Guercio.
Still following that thread, those lyrics brought to mind a quote from the late, and still greatly lamented, Bill Hicks:
The world is like a ride at an amusement park. It goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it’s very brightly coloured and it’s very loud and it’s fun, for a while.
Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: Is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, “Hey – don’t worry, don’t be afraid, ever, because, this is just a ride…” But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok.
Jesus – murdered; Martin Luther King – murdered; Malcolm X – murdered; Gandhi – murdered; John Lennon – murdered; Reagan… wounded.
But it doesn’t matter because: It’s just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one.
Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money that we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.
Blogging... following threads.....it's a funny ol' game!
BS&T - one of my fave groups, T, love their songs especially Spinning Wheel.
ReplyDeleteJoni wrote one about the carousel of life called "The Circle Game" which always brings tears to my eyes:
Yesterday, a child came out to wander
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star
And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game
Then, the child moved ten times 'round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like, "When you're older", must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams
And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came,
And go round and round and round
In the circle game
Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town
And they tell him, "Take your time. It won't be long now.
'Til your drag your feet to slow the circles down"
And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game
So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through.
And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return, we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and 'round and 'round
In the circle game
And go 'round and 'round and 'round in the circle game.
XO
WWW
Distaff Day sounds to me like a method of calming cabin fever...burning your mate's precious fibers, throwing pails of water on the guys...what fun! I suppose a few couples carried it a bit too far and burned the house down. Bet the girls couldn't wait for Plough Day to arrive. Did the women dull the plough shares on Plough Day in retaliation?
ReplyDeleteThere must be more genes expressing fear over the one, lonely, LUV gene. It apparently isn't natural to love our fellow beings...has to be taught through eons of long, painful lessons.
Wisewebwoman ~ I hadn't heard that one before, WWW - found it on YouTube just now. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt won't be long now.
'Til your drag your feet to slow the circles down"
That's me!
mike ~~ LOL! Yes,it does sound as though it acted as a kind of release valve. Daft though it was in practical terms. Maybe in several hundred years from now people will think the same about 21st century-ites constantly checking their i-whatevers and smartphones, asking "what fun was there in that?" (actually I'm doing that now - must be ahead of my time.) ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh that it were the other way around though Mike - that we had to be taught to fight and hate, while love came naturally.
That does remind me of another song though with another point of view - from South Pacific
You've got to be taught
To hate and fear
You've got to be taught
From year to Year
It's got to be drummed
in your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught
You've got to be taught
To be Afraid
Of people whose eyes
are oddly made
And people whose skin
Is a different shade
You've got to be carefully taught
You've got to be taught
Before it's too late
Before you are 6 or 7 or 8
To hate all the people
your relatives hate
You've got to be carefully taught