On Dec 1, 2006, at 3:23, Jean Nathan wrote:
I interpreted the words as meaning that downtown wasn't a particularly
nice part of a town. I read:
"Don't hang around and let your problems surround you
There are movie shows...downtown
Maybe you know some little places to go to
Where they never close...downtown"
as downtown was a bit sleazy, ie "Don't hang around" meant don't stay
downtown too long because it isn't nice.
No, no, no... :) "don't hang around and let your problems surround you"
is simply: "don't waste your time stewing in your misery; head for the
exciting downtown, where you can see a movie or have a meal at a cozy
little place which never sleeps"
"And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to
Guide them along"
as "You're in trouble and you'll find others in the same position
there".
Well, yes and no. A bottle can be half-full or half-empty, depending on
your POV :)
Finding someone with a problem similiar to yours... a problem shared is
a problem *halved*. You are not alone in the frighteningly large and
seemingly cold world; there are others who feel, think and fear just as
you do; you are no longer on your own. Downtown, you might be able to
find "a gentle hand" (treatment), and understanding... instead of the
ridicule you might have been afraid of (or might have experienced among
the nearest and dearest at home -- away from the downtown)
but obvously I'm wrong.
Perhaps it's I who is wrong, but I've always interpreted that song as
being hopeful and full of promise. To me, the "downtown" in the song is
a place full of light and full of people and some of them may end up
being your friends where you least expected to find them.
But then... I've always been a bit of an oddball, so have experienced
my share of ridicule and rebuff. And, when I was young, before I grew a
thicker shell, it *really hurt*. I wasn't so much "in trouble", as I
was "troubled" a lot of the time. So, like the young girl who sings the
song, I found a lot of comfort from talking to strangers -- waiting in
lines when my parents sent me shopping, on the buses, on the trains...
I no longer *need* that comfort, but I still talk to strangers (mostly
at the airports and on the planes, these days <g>), much to the
discomfort and embarassment of my family :)
--
Tamara P Duvall http://t-n-lace.net/
Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
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