Lex and I have been having a friendly back and forth here about love songs. I think this is one. You may or may not…Death Cab for Cutie, “Grapevine Fires” (I particularly like this version because it is live):
When the wind picked up the fire spread
And the grapevines seemed left for dead
And the Northern sky looked like the end of days
The end of days
The wake-up call to a rented room
Sounded like an alarm of impending doom
To warn us it’s only a matter of time
Before we all burn
Before we all burn
Before we all burn
Before we all burn
We bought some wine and some paper cups
Near your daughters school when we picked her up
And drove to a cemetery on a hill
On a hill
And we watched the plumes paint the sky gray
But she laughed and danced through the field of graves
And there I knew it would be alright
That everything would be alright
Would be alright
Would be alright
Would be alright
And the news reports on the radio
Said it was getting worse
As the ocean air fanned the flames
But I couldn’t think
Of anywhere I would of rather been
To watch it all burn away
To burn away
And the firemen worked in double shifts
With prayers for rain on their lips
And they knew it was only a matter of time
I finally got to listen to it. It is a nice song. It is certainly some kind of love song. But it does not absolutely kill me. A song has to absolutely kill me. Life is short. I am incredibly picky. You have three minutes at most to absolutely kill me.
I am mulling responses to this gambit. I will not lay down my best cards just yet.