For a Song: Distant Water

David Wilcox: Distant Water

[purchase]

Due to the holiday weekend, I did not get the time I needed to prepare for this week’s album review. So I’m switching it with the For a Song feature, and the review will appear later this week.

As I write this, we here in New Jersey have just endured one of the hottest days I have ever experienced. The temperature reached 106; it has literally been years since we last had a day over 100. Readers in Phoenix and places like that may be wondering what the big deal is, but here these temperatures come with high humidity. I posted Long Tall Cool One two weeks ago, and I thought it was hot then. Little did I know. To make matters worse, it has not rained in almost a month. There is (usually) a little stream near my house, but today I noticed that the bed is getting dry, and the fish are scrambling for places to swim. So I am expecting an official drought call any day now. Hence, Distant Water.

David Wilcox is talking about an emotional drought, but his metaphor is very real to me right now. Wilcox is a fine writer, and his description of watery mirages reminds me of the days we have had recently where it really looked like it would rain, but it never did. The emotion of this song resonates all the more with me now because of our weather.