My Sweet Lady
My Sweet Lady by John Denver can be heard all around us, from mundane to special moments. You hear it at the grocery store as you browse the produce section. And it is a perennial wedding song. You may even hear it at birthday parties for dogs (cus people actually have those, which still amazes me, since I don't even celebrate my own birthday). Played millions of times since its release in 1971, it is part of the cultural ether. And that's a good thing because it is a sweet song. I dedicate this post to a certain woman. How long will I continue to write about her? How many more John Denver songs do I have? I can't do this forever, I know. Regardless of her circumstances and mine, though, I still seem to want to write these love letters, at least for a time. Everything has a beginning and an end, including me. Nothing lasts forever. So enjoy, if you're into this sort of thing.
I chose this version over others even though it is slower. Why? Because he nailed it. He lays into the notes. You can feel he means what he sings. That's how it should be. As with love, when one sings, don't hold back. The lyrics are a little strange, but it makes a very good wedding song. The man is affirming his love after something happened. It doesn't matter what happened, and it certainly doesn't detract from one's enjoyment of the song. Like all folk songs, the emphasis is the lyrics. The music is sparse and stays where it belongs in the background. Yes, it is another John Denver love song.
Allow me a brief tangent. This doesn't involve the girl I'm writing about. No, I'm not asking her to marry me (I wish). Nor am I asking for a carnal relationship. But, after not making love to a woman for years now, it became clear at some point the real power of sex. This song could have been written about sex; I don't know. He's as close as he can be, he says. You can't get much closer than through sex, though sex is only one type of intimacy. What is a more powerful bond between a man and woman than making love? It does entwine two people. It connects you to the one you love, and disconnects you from everything else, if just for a few moments. Still, you are lost to the world and found only by your lover. Those bonds don't necessarily last forever, as I found. But my realization about sex is God created it as a gift for married people not only to bind them together but to bind them to Him. Also, it is a foretaste of the incredibly intoxicating feeling of oneness with the Creator we will experience when we enter heaven. But sex lasts a few moments, and being together with God will last for eternity. Married couples aren't supposed to resist sex but indulge whenever they want. Some excuses for forgoing sexual relations are menstruation and, of course, sickness, and coming together in prayer instead (but married couples should pray together anyway). But nothing should hinder them for long from sharing the blessing of sex. And what an amazing blessing, to share a little glimpse of heaven as man and woman on earth. It makes all the cheap sex out there in the world look pretty ugly, doesn't it? Once you experience sex that not only makes you closer to your mate but God, as well, it tarnishes all the quick and dirty stuff. But none of that really pertains to this post, except that those who are in love (hopefully) eventually end up making love. That is pie in the sky concerning this girl and me, as is any idea of a romantic relationship. It's just a nice thought. Thanks for walking through it with me.
When you love someone deeply, you understand meanings you never did before. The song points this out. I don't understand why the woman is crying. But the man is trying to reassure her. Men make promises. Men often break promises. But, considering this is a wedding song, let's go with a man keeping a promise. When he asks if she is happy, I'm beginning to wonder what is going on. She's crying. She's happy. What is this thing? Sometimes that is how love is, and how many women cry during their weddings, even though they are happy? Or, maybe they aren't. Haha. I don't know. Women are hard to figure out, and maybe that's all there is to know about those lines.
As with many love songs, there is a chasm between two people. Here we see that too. The man asks a lot of questions. He doesn't know exactly what she feels. Does she feel the same way he does? Is she crying? Is she happy? He wants her to know how much he loves her. And that is all we need to know. This is a love song, and all love songs say this exact thing, though in different ways. How many love letters have I written to the girl I love? I don't know. But they all said the same thing as what John is saying in this song. I wanted her to know how much I loved her. It didn't make any difference, I know, but love must love, just as hearts must beat and lungs must breathe.
One of the best parts of the song is "Close your eyes and rest your weary mind. I promise to stay right here beside you." Don't we all need that kind of love? We all have our weary days. It would be nice if someone let us rest our weary minds while they lay beside us. Going through life alone can be hard. God didn't intend it to be that way. When one falls down, the other can pick them up. When one is sick, the other takes care of them. When one has a weary mind, the other is right beside them. That's the way life — and love — should be. No one should go through life alone. We all need care and support. And love.
Yes, I know it is beyond time to let go, but permit me these last, dying gasps. Like John Denver, I won't always be here. Everything in life is a limited-time offer, including life itself. Though I don't have a musical legacy, I did write a lot here. Hopefully, someone will find these love letters and enjoy them. And I won't mind if someone takes them and uses them to say just how much they love someone, just as I did with this song. Thank you, John.
Thank you for reading. And God bless.
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