(no subject)

[twirlgrrl]

There is a song that reminds me more than any other of my brother. It has become my own personal little memorial to him; since I almost never put it on the stereo (it's painful!) I hear it randomly, on the radio, in the car. I heard it Tuesday, in fact, while driving home from Seton. When it comes on, I never change the station. I just turn it up and sing along and cry. I'm almost always alone when I hear it. It's by U2, which was one of my brother's favorite bands, and it was written for a friend of theirs who died. Ricky loved the ocean, and there are many other reasons why it's perfect. Besides, it's beautiful. Listen to it sometime. Here are the lyrics:

One Tree Hill

We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill
As the day begs the night for mercy, love.

A sun so bright it leaves no shadows
Only scars carved into stone on the face of earth.

The moon is up and over One Tree Hill
We see the sun go down in your eyes.

You run like a river on to the sea
You run like a river runs to the sea.

And in the world, a heart of darkness, a fire-zone
Where poets speak their heart then bleed for it

Jara sang, his song a weapon in the hands of love.
You know his blood still cries from the ground.

It runs like a river runs to the sea.
It runs like a river to the sea.

I don't believe in painted roses or bleeding hearts
While bullets rape the night of the merciful.

I'll see you again when the stars fall from the sky
And the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill.

We run like a river runs to the sea
We run like a river to the sea.

And when it's rainin', rainin' hard
That's when the rain will break a heart.

Rainin', rainin' in your heart
Rainin' in your heart.
Rainin', rain into your heart
Rainin', rainin', rainin'
Rain into your heart.
Rainin', ooh, rain in your heart, yeah.
Feel it.

Oh great ocean
Oh great sea
Run to the ocean
Run to the sea.


Erik Alan Hummel
2/24/70-10/11/88


P.S. I knew it was written in memory of a U2 roadie and friend who died, but I didn't know much more than that. I just found this link that explains what One Tree Hill is, and who the song was written for: http://www.u2newzooland.com/one-tree-hill/essay/index.htm

Comments

[kathykat.livejournal.com]

U2 has a powerful song or two for me....I always call them Pompous Windbags, and have been heard to say this for years, but the touch me too...I don't often admit it.

I'm with you on the car thing...some of my friends and I call it The Car Crying Club of which we named ourselves charter members....

hugs, hugs, hugs

[butterflyshaine.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful song to remember Erik by, Lisa ~ brings tears to my eyes too when I hear it.

Really cool learning the history behind the song ~ just love those U2 men!

love,
natalie

[sagefemme11.livejournal.com]

One of my all time favorite U2 songs ever.
But I find the joy in the running to the sea.
I laugh like a wildfire to this song, feel my strength, deepen my breath, muscles contract up and down my legs and across my back in eager readiness to join Bono in a harum-scarum chase across a field of tall grass to the river rushing below.

This was such a powerful post of yours. Infinitely sorry your brother is no longer with you on the physical plane. He would be my age, 36, in another month. Our mothers were pregnant at the same time. So, so sorry you suffered this profound loss when you did.

[neuraltube.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Thank you.

(Yeah, I'm slow--sorry.)