A song that will be tied to me until death

[Masherbrum]

I dusted off "Live - Throwing Copper" as I haven't heard it for a few years.    I now know why, I got to "Pillar of Davidson" and started tearing up.   I lose it now after these words.   Believe it or not, this is my favorite song by them, but it is almost masochistic in a way.

"I'll be along son with medicine supposed to,
designed to make you high
I'll be along son
with words for a feeling and all I've discovered"

These words start the flood gates for me.   Back in Dec. of 1997 my buddy Erich ("Fish")was in a car accident 100 yards from his driveway at work (He worked at Monrovia Nursery in Dayton, Oregon).    He came out of the Coma a month later with only me at his bedside (first time I had ever flown).    Only a month before his accident, I had asked him to be my Best Man in our wedding on December of the following year.    He was driving a Ford Escort, and a lifted, speeding, and driver who had been drinking lost control.   My buddy's Escort went between the wheelbase of the Toyota on the black ice, the toyota rolled over on top of the Escort.   Erich's right heel sheared at the force he applied to the brakes.   His left foot was wrapped around the back of his neck.

The third Paramedic to check him out, found a faint pulse, after two other's declared him dead.   He was then rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon.    His parents rushed out, and had his personal effects stolen with his empty wallet found in the parking lot.   The person that caused the accident had the gull to approach his father in the hospital in the and ask "for my girlfriends textbook".  

As the quoted lyrics go, seeing him lay on a bed that moved to keep his blood moving and not puddling in the brain was sobering.    His sister played Pink Floyd cassettes that she hastily bought (I got him into the band farther than he wished back in 1987, in school).   I opened the 2nd cassette of Pulse, as I got annoyed listening to the same tapes over and over (it was still sealed), and when it got to "Wish You Were Here", it happened.    He started wiggling uncontrollably and within 20 minutes a nurse came in.    He told her "I have to stand in a wedding, I need to leave."    I went out in the hallway and just let loose of the salt laced water that was of epic quantity (relief at last).  

He knew I was out there, by the time I left.   I didn't want to, but I had to.    He had to learn how to walk again.   He got pissed off at the "Bonsai Class Instructor" when she was telling the class how to plant the Bonsai.   He majored and graduated from Central Michigan Univ. with a degree in Horticulture.    He ended up teaching the class, while explaining the Latin names to the students (other patients).

Fast Forward to Dec 4th, 1998, he stood at our wedding.    We went out to his place in Tigard for our Honeymoon.   It's something the two of us wanted to do for him.    For our 1st Anniversary we went back out and told him "Fish, if you weren't to come out, we wouldn't have replaced you as Best Man".   He lost it over dinner.

Fast Forward to January 22nd, 2000.   I saw "Live" at the State Theater here in Detroit.   This was the one song I wanted hear them play as a sort of "closure" to this incident.   They did, and my buddy noticed a tear and nodded.   Most of my friends would skip over this tune, if they were listening to it.   They can see how those four lines could be related to my friend, his father, and me."    Fish and I have talked on the phone ever since he left Michigan in 1996.   I've known him for 20 years, and even though he lives in Tracy, Ca, we still talk like "brothers we never had".  

I was fine until tonight.   I have no idea why.   Sorry for this long post about a piece of me.   <> all.     Mac, I hope you are doing good and not hitting the bottle as hard as you can.  

Jay

[DREDIOCK]

Know where your comming from.
Have one of those songs myself.

Only my story doesnt have as happy an ending as yours

Cornball song

"seasons in the sun"

About someone dying and saying goodbye

Came out when my best friend and I were kids and we used to joke how it would be our song if one of us happend to meet an untimely end

When my friend died getting hit by a car that song was the first thing that came to my mind and how most of the the lyrics fit us growing up together.

"Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we're nine or ten. ( I was 10 he was 9)
Together we climbed hills or trees.
Learned of love and ABC's,
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Pretty girls are everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.
Goodbye, Papa, please pray for me,
I was the black sheep of the family.
You tried to teach me right from wrong.
Too much wine and too much song,
wonder how I get along.
Goodbye, Papa, it's hard to die
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Little children everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song,
like the seasons, all have gone.
Goodbye, Michelle, my little one.
You gave me love and helped me find the sun.
And every time that I was down
you would always come around
and get my feet back on the ground.
Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die
when all the bird are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
With the flowers ev'rywhere.
I whish that we could both be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the stars we could reach
were just starfishs on the beach "

[DREDIOCK]

On a side note.

Also when we were kids  he really liked the song "Happy Together"

So much so that he would drive me nuts playing it over and over and over again to the point where I hated it.

Fast forward 20+ years and about 6 months after the accident that took his life.

Im sitting in my car in rush hour traffic at a redlight. My mind deep in thought on unrelated events of the day Work etc.
When all of a sudden on the radio I hear a familiour Guitar riff and
"Imagine me and you, I do"

I roll my eyes and say to myself. Oh got not this frikken song when suddenly I look up and realise Im at the exact intersection where he was killed.

Now Im not claiming it was anything paranormal or aythign like that
but knowing my buddy Jimmy. If he could, he'd play that song just to bust my chops if he could.

Thinking that I just looked up and smiled and chukled "F- You Jimmy" LOL