Dream Street (tribute to Gerry Rafferty)

The first 45 record I ever bought was Gerry Rafferty's Home and Dry from his album City to City. It was so cool owning a memory that could be played back at will, and I remember being thrilled with how the song opened with a definitive musical pounding. And when I heard of Gerry Rafferty's passing, I got very sad. It was like a portion of my youth yielded to the inevitable. But then I thought how much joy his words and music brought me and how those sounds are recorded for posterity. Then I thought, "Thanks, Gerry. You gave me great memories and music. Rest in peace."

(to Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street)

Sound in my head echoes Baker Street
Sax swirls around and melody sweet
Quells a bothered, busy day
I’m dreamin’ cares away
In my mind revolves reverie

A little youngster looks for waxen gold
There seem so many choices in old record store
And his fingers, greedy palms
Will fumble through the songs
While he hums about merrily.

He starts to think that song has gone missing
No tune he finds, and eyes become misty
The song’s hidin’,
He’s down and out
A clerk comes by, says “What you need, sonny?
Now don’t you fear, I’ve found it here, sonny.”
Our boy’s flyin’,
Boy’s flyin’ now.

He’s proud and beams, there’s a smile on his face
He puts on the song, he sings aloud, he relates
And his world begins to spin
His mind begins to dream
And he thinks about floating things.

He starts to groove along, movin’ his hands
He’s thinks of buyin’ some tunes, all those cool type bands
And then his vinyl found
Crackled final needle sound
And his song, abrupt, ends its fling

Then I woke, my mind it stopped musin’
I woke to find my dream of youth losin’
My youth’s goin’,

age is comin’ home
But on that street, I feel the years fallin’
The times so shiny, like the snow fallin’
A time flowin’,

Sun’s warmin’ dawn.

Copyright 2010 Warren Baker