God and Daddy
Back in the 1970s I conceived of a collection called “The Poetry of Carly Simon.” Nothing was done on that topic by me or, as far as I know, anyone else. Fifty years later one of her resonant creations came to mind—I cannot recall what triggered the memory. But, it was timely in light of my struggles to create and publish “Magnolia Elegy,” a work that I characterize as “homage to a time and place” but which is prominently a manifestation of my successful struggle to come to terms with a lot of Daddy and a little of God. Her relationship with God and Daddy differed from mine, separated by gender and culture, but her telling power is universal.
Embrace Me You Child
At night in bed I heard God whisper lullabyes
While Daddy next door whistled whiskey tunes
And sometimes when I wanted, they would harmonize
There was nothing those two couldn't do
Embrace me you child, you're a child of mine
And I'm leaving everything I am to you
Go chase the wild and night time streets sang Daddy
And God sang, Pray the devil doesn't get to you
I thought together they must sing the moon away
I thought that they must know each other well
For the magic that they made, when they played
Wasn't lost between their Heaven and their Hell
Embrace me you child, you're a child of mine
And I'm leaving everything I am to you
Go chase the wild and night time streets sang Daddy
And God sang, Pray the devil doesn't get to you
Then one night Daddy died and went to Heaven
And God came down to earth and slipped away
I pretended not to know I'd been abandoned
But no-one sang the night into the day
And later night time songs came back again
But the singers don't compare with those I knew
And I never figured out where God and Daddy went
But there was nothing those two couldn't do
Carly Simon, No Secrets, released November 16, 1972
-Album cover thanks to images.genius.com
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Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children’s author born on June 25, 1945 in The Bronx, New York City.
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If you would like to see my collection of Carolina Lowcountry memories—"Magnolia Elegy: Place In the Edisto Fork," you can view the book trailer here, and see the book page here on the publisher's website. The book is also available from Amazon, B&N, and your independent local bookseller.
