{"id":28508,"date":"2018-08-07T09:29:51","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T13:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/?p=28508"},"modified":"2019-03-28T09:35:30","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T13:35:30","slug":"beating-back-the-devil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/?p=28508","title":{"rendered":"Beating Back the Devil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I had to blink.  It\u2019s been a few \nyears since I was in a saloon that \u201cspoke to me.\u201d  Let me make this clear\u2026 I was \na visitor.  And I know the difference in being \u201cpart of a place\u201d and of being \njust a visitor<\/em>.  For a decade or \nmore, the Ash Creek Saloon was my second \nhome.  <\/em>And to those that frequented that watering hole, we knew who \nbelonged<\/em> and who was an outsider \n— a guest<\/em>.  And that\u2019s the way \nit is when you have a place of local patronage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My point here, I knew I was a \nguest.  Yet even a guest can take appreciation of a place that has an energy and \nlife produced of kindred souls of the \u201cneighborhood\u201d.  I was just planning on a \nquick stop, a brief review of the private wine tasting I had just conducted, a \nwhisky and a nosh and off to home.  And then from the far end of the bar, four \nstout souls (had to be regulars) launched a \ncappella<\/em> into song\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies<\/em>
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain;<\/em>
For we’ve received orders for to sail for old England<\/em>
But we hope in a short time to see you again<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearing the song, I felt encouraged<\/em> to order another whisky.  If I \nhad heard a local cover band doing \u201cSweet Home Chicago\u201d I would probably have \ndone the same thing. Upon hearing music, there is a natural draw for something \nthat you\u2019ve heard \u2013 that you know<\/em> \n\u2013 that acts as a welcome anchor<\/em>.  \nThat encourages you to stay and linger, to stay and savor.  So why not another \nWild Turkey Rye?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And these guys were surprisingly good.\u00a0 Maybe a barbershop quartet? Hard to believe that they\u2019d sound that good after a handful of beers and a hard day at the office!\u00a0 That is unless their office was a local oyster boat, and singing sea shanties were part of their natural make up.\u00a0 Or, these guys sounded like fraternity brothers who had to learn the song during their pledge year, and never lost connection to the melody and lyrics.W<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll rant and we’ll roar like true British sailors<\/em>
We’ll rant and we’ll roar all on the salt seas<\/em>
Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England;<\/em>
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I first heard a portion of the song \nin the film \u201cMaster and Commander\u201d.  It\u2019s one of my favorite films. A story is \nset on the frigate H.M.S. Surprise during the Napoleonic Wars.  I\u2019ve heard a \ncouple of covers of the song over the years, and I love it.  Each time it puts \nme in mind of canvas sail bulging in the wind, the tar and pitch of the rigging, \nthe smell of salt air & the roll of ship in the waves.  It\u2019s all in my mind, \nfor sure. I\u2019ve never set foot on a square rigged ship.  But such is the power of \nour imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hove our ship to with the wind from sou’west, boys<\/em>
We hove our ship to, deep soundings to take;<\/em>
‘Twas forty-five fathoms, with a white sandy bottom<\/em>
So we squared our main yard and up channel did make<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe those guys were Brits \u201con \nloan\u201d from a Bristol pub!  Or maybe off a North Sea oil rig?  For my part I was happy that they were \nthere\u2026 regardless of their \u201chome port\u201d.  Happy to put my return home on pause, \nput my paper work aside & sip a second whisky.  The song concluded I joined \nthe raucous applause and hoots from the gathered in the bar.  Someone shouted, \n\u201cAgain!\u201d  And the foursome obliged, and then followed it with another tune that \nI recognized: \u201cDon\u2019t Forget Your Old Shipmate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safe and sound at home again<\/em>
Let the waters roar, Jack<\/em>
Safe and sound at home again<\/em>
Let the waters roar, Jack<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long we’ve tossed on the rolling main<\/em>
Now we’re safe ashore, Jack<\/em>
Don’t forget your old shipmate<\/em>
Fal dee ral dee ral dee rye eye doe!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since we sailed from Plymouth Sound<\/em>
Four years gone, or nigh, Jack<\/em>
Was there ever chummies, now<\/em>
Such as you and I, Jack?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the second verse it seemed \nlike the entire bar, men and women, joined in the chorus.  \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long we’ve tossed on the rolling main<\/em>
Now we’re safe ashore, Jack<\/em>
Don’t forget your old shipmate<\/em>
Fal dee ral dee ral dee rye eye doe!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was too much!  I looked \naround\u2026 maybe this was one of those flash \nmob<\/em> things?  Maybe the entire bar worked on the same oyster boat? \nSame pledge class? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I was and outsider.  I was \nside stage to the goings-on. But very happy to enjoy the diversion from my \nwork.  It was good to hear folks joined in song, leaving the airs of negativity \nbehind, laughing, raising a glass, and beating back the devil that has gripped \nour land by the throat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had to blink.  It\u2019s been a few years since I was in a saloon that \u201cspoke to me.\u201d  Let me make this clear\u2026 I was a visitor.  And I know the difference in being \u201cpart of a place\u201d and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28508"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28606,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28508\/revisions\/28606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}