I Hear What I Want To Hear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQQuQbtIsdY

THE VOGUES
"The Land Of Milk And Honey"

Play "The Land Of Milk An…" on Amazon Music

Yes it's true for most of my life I spoke devil
And I did my best to dodge anything that looked at all like work
I was prone to standing on corners smokin' cigarettes
And talkin' about anything I didn't know
Oh, how I needed to go

Please take me to the land of milk and honey
To the land of love and sunshine
To the land of milk and honey, Please take me

Time passed and I got a little older
Takin' on trouble just a little bit harder and a little bit bolder
I was thinkin' colder, fightin', lyin', cheatin' & cryin', I gave up
Givin'-up the voices of evil that were pullin' me down
You know, I was givin' up ground

Please take me to the land of milk and honey
To the land of love and sunshine
To the land of milk and honey, Please take me

Then it came and it sounded like thunder
Shot of light in the dark of the night and you were really there
Tellin' me that you care, your warm love took away the cold
And were you walked the cobblestones turned to gold
And when you touch my hair you know take me there

Please take me to the land of milk and honey
To the land of love and sunshine
To the land of milk and honey, Please take me

One of the songs that pulled me through my accident in 1966 was a piece of music by a group called The Vogues. This seemed to be a time from 1964 through 67 or 68 the Vogues music seemed to be everywhere. These guys were overshadowed of course by the Beatles but I always like their music especially In the Land Milk And Honey. For some reason I thought the song was written especially for me especially when I was in recovery from my initial accident. The reason this song meant so much of me was for one line in one verse… “Fighting for my life and teaching karate”. I was enchanted the first time I heard this. I envisioned some special forces guy, who had come to an epiphany in his life and waded through struggle and war and finally got into a good place. I started hearing the song a couple months before my accident. The song took even more precedence in my life after my trauma ,and I seemed to be acting out the struggle, it seemed, just what I needed just to stay alive, to live.

I got on with my life and so did the music. The Vogues music lost favor and soon disappeared from playlists delegated to elevators and grocery stores as background noise. In comparison the Vogues music was wholesome compared to the music of the day. As the years passed the Vogues music became part of the Golden oldies playlists which is all right with me. I loved the sensation I got every time this piece of music came on the radio. I even bought their cassette of greatest hits. I would listen to the selections until the poor batteries ran down in my little meager cassette player.

“Fighting for my life and teaching karate”. I was sure I was only one of the few who knew they were writing about black belt in karate because you can only teach karate once you get a black belt. And of course “fighting for your life…” The guy was involved in the Vietnam war, in the deepest part, relying on his martial arts to stay alive. I was one of the only few wwho knew this.

I don't know why today, I decided to go back and find the lyrics, this piece of work that has meant so much to me. I just wanted to see the words “fighting for your life and teaching karate” written out verifying my elite-ness. The search was no problem, I found one of the YouTube videos and played the version that looked clearest. Sure enough, I heard the line “… teaching karate”. The next search for the lyrics which was a little more difficult but not bad. I pulled up the lyrics and scanned them and couldn't find the words. I couldn't believe it. Somehow I found the only version of the song on the Internet that had put up the wrong lyrics or a distortion of the lyrics. I went to another Internet address that purported to have the lyrics and search those came up wanting again. Then I had to realize the horrible truth that I had miss heard the song for 50 years! I have heard what I want to hear not what was there. My mind slipped in the words that were not there..

I still love the music, particularly this piece for what it got me through regardless of how I bastardize the piece in my mind but I have to come clean now those were not the words I was supposed to hear. I'm still having to process all this. And it's a little difficult but not important and all the other things in my life which I think are. I still wish I was in The Land Of Milk And Honey.