Hello, beautiful people! I hope you had a restful spring break. I don’t know about you, but it went by way too fast for my liking; however, it was great to be home again. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to record anything, so sorry. Over the break, though, my brother introduced me to this great song and I became obsessed with it (as I have also mentioned in the tags), so of course I had to share it with you guys! This group also sings a fantastic rendition of “You Are My Sunshine.” I know how ridiculous that sounds, but they added lyrics so it’s a good song and I wanted to use it this week but I found the poem before I found the song and they didn’t work together; if you have time, you should look it up..or I could just include it here.
Anyway, this week I’ll be looking at “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein and “I Miss You” by Leftover Cuties.
“Where the Sidewalk Ends” was written by Shel Silverstein and was published in his collection of poems, entitled Where the Sidewalk Ends, in 1974.
“I Miss You” by Leftover Cuties was released on May 31, 2011 on their Places to Go—EP.
Here is the song, as usual:
Where the Sidewalk Ends
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
Where do I even begin with this poem? I used to read Shel Silverstein when I was younger but when I read this one again, something about it just intrigued me. I rather enjoy the overall message in this poem. The poem itself has a rather innocent and hopeful tone with a bit of nostalgia thrown in there. The hopeful tone is established with phrases such as “there is a place,” “let us leave,” “we shall walk…/And watch,” and “Yes we’ll walk…/And we’ll go.” With these phrases, the speaker is insinuating that not only is there such a place, but the “we” will be traveling to this place together. The innocent tone is established with phrases such as “grass grows soft and white,” “sun burns crimson bright,” “moon-bird rests from his flight,” “measured and slow,” and the last two lines “For the children, they mark, and the children, they know/The place where the sidewalk ends.” These phrases describing “where the sidewalk ends” are a contrast to the description of where the speaker, and the assumed audience, is now. In the second stanza, when the speaker is describing the place where “the smoke blows black,” etc., he is referring to the darkness of the real world. The place where the sidewalk ends is not a real place at all, rather it is an escape from the world. The real world is so fast-pace and unpleasant, but by returning to simpler times, times of childhood, innocence may return. We are going to walk measured and slow so that we can slow down and enjoy the things we cannot enjoy with the fast-paced life we are currently living. In the last two stanzas, again, the speaker says, “For the children, they mark, and the children, they know/The place where the sidewalk ends,” and this also goes back to the nostalgic innocence that comes with just slowing down. It’s okay to want to get away from the realism of the world and to follow the “chalk-white arrows” that the children mark. No one knows for sure where they will go, but it will allow for a return to simpler times if only for just a moment.
This song, I think, captures the innocent and hopeful nostalgia that emanates from this poem. They ukulele and the bells in the background are more innocent and complement the nostalgic tone of the vocalist. With the two combined, I could see myself walking along an unknown path with a light breeze blowing and a smile on my face. I can see myself when I was younger and didn’t have to worry about the things that plague my mind now: paying tuition, homework, work, where I’m going after college, etc. The drums and the bass help to emphasize the nostalgic hopefulness that also cones from this poem. It’s actually quite hard to slow down when everything is so fast-paced, but when it does happen, it’s a great feeling. The sun seems brighter and the sky seems bluer (well, when you can see them out here anyway), and you can walk around with a smile on your face. I like to think there is such a place where the sidewalk ends. Sidewalk is sometimes symbolic to the rush of the city, or since we’re in State College, the rush of a university campus, so why not imagine yourself to a place where grass was something you could enjoy rather something in the way of getting to class. The “real world,” though we are still not living in it yet, can be a dark place and a crimson sun can bring out a smile and a good memory.
Wow, so that was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I got through it, though, so that’s awesome. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this week’s post. Sorry if the song or the poem was a bit down, I’m telling you I’ve been in a weird mood. It could just be being out here for so long, my goodness. *end mini rant* I really do love this song, and I know I say that every week, but that’s only because I mean it every time. I hope you guys enjoyed this song (and poem) as much as I do. Thanks for reading!