Redtree Times

There are certain songs that immediately take you back to specific moments when you hear them, songs that are imprinted in you as a sort of timestamp.  Whenever I hear Grazing in the Grass I am instantly sent back to the summers of my youth.  Impressions of bright yellow sunlight seen through closed eyelids, dried  and brown cut grass on bare feet and the endless search for something to fill your summer days.  We lived relatively isolated in the country and it was a time without instant connection to the outer world– no computers, video games, DVDs, around the clock satellite television or even FM radio– so there was always a pervading sense of boredom.

But, in retrospect,  this boredom was a gift and a wonderful thing.  It made me create my own entertainment and trained me to bide my time within myself.   It gave me time to experiment and explore, to read and to look at the world around me.  It seems that I am eternally busy now and I find myself  missing  that boredom, of wondering what to do next. Or not.

I think boredom has gotten a bad rap with so many parents feeling that they need to fill each moment of their child’s life, depriving  the kids of developing self-reliance and  a certain creative ability.  I know that for me boredom seemed like a curse when I was a kid but was sorely missed once it was gone.

And that all comes to me with this song.  And it can be either version, the original Hugh Masekala instrumental #1 hit from 1968 or the Friends of Distinction‘s vocal hit from the following year, which I  personally prefer, if only for the chance to sing along with the chorus that ends with Can you dig it, Baby?!  I’ve included both versions below for comparison.

So enjoy your Sunday.  I hope you find a little time to be bored.