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Uplifting Thoughts for the Isolated and Depressed in Times of Plague
- Thread starter Praefectus Praetorio
- Start date
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Does this work? Same tune, live performanceSame result
Probably some local copyright issue. I don't see it among their range on YouTube.
Jackie1111
Tribune
Ha ha! That is both hilarious and super sexy!
May I suggest an uplifting weather forecast?
Jackie1111
Tribune
Worked for me. And my oh my, that piano player really grabs the eye, doesn't she?
Attachments
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
A truly heartwarming and uplifting video. Be sure to watch all the way to the end.
View attachment VID-20190731--Heartwarming.mp4
View attachment VID-20190731--Heartwarming.mp4
John Delves Richardson
Governor
Chile, eh? My mind goes to a certain story I have recently read and enjoyed quite a bit.
John Delves Richardson
Governor
Ever wondered how to become gluten intolerant?
JP will explain everything in this video.
JP will explain everything in this video.
Naraku
Draconarius
Here's another diversion for stressful times.
When I was young, like many social awkward adolescent males, I tried to learn magic. I lacked the confidence to ever perform so I eventually gave up; but I did manage to learn the basics of most tricks (Trade secret, there are really only a handful of basic tricks. Everything is just a variation on those.). So, I know pretty much how this guy is doing these, but I can't see him doing the tricks, which makes him pretty damn good.
View attachment Rope Trick.mp4
When I was young, like many social awkward adolescent males, I tried to learn magic. I lacked the confidence to ever perform so I eventually gave up; but I did manage to learn the basics of most tricks (Trade secret, there are really only a handful of basic tricks. Everything is just a variation on those.). So, I know pretty much how this guy is doing these, but I can't see him doing the tricks, which makes him pretty damn good.
View attachment Rope Trick.mp4
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
As a dog lover, I cherish this story
An old cowboy was riding his trusty horse, followed by his faithful dog along an unfamiliar road. The cowboy was enjoying the new scenery, when he suddenly remembered dying, and realized the dog beside him had been dead for years, as had his horse. Confused, he wondered what was happening, and where the trail was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall that looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, was a tall arch topped by a golden letter "H" that glowed in the sunlight. Standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like gold.
He rode toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. Parched and tired out by his journey, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'
'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.
'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.
'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'
As the gate began to open, the cowboy asked, 'Can I bring my partners, too?'
'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'
The cowboy thought for a moment, then turned back to the road and continued riding, his dog trotting by his side.
After another long ride, at the top of another hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a ranch gate that looked as if it had never been closed. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
'Excuse me,' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'
'Sure, there's a pump right over there. Help yourself.'
'How about my friends here?' the traveler gestured to the dog and his horse.
'Of course! They look thirsty, too,' said the man.
The trio went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with buckets beside it. The traveler filled a cup and the buckets with wonderfully cool water and took a long drink, as did his horse and dog.
When they were full, he walked back to the man who was still standing by the tree; 'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.
'This is Heaven,' he answered.
'That's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'
'Oh, you mean the place with the glitzy, gold street and fake pearly gates? That's hell.'
'Doesn't it make you angry when they use your name like that?'
'Not at all. Actually, we're happy they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'
An old cowboy was riding his trusty horse, followed by his faithful dog along an unfamiliar road. The cowboy was enjoying the new scenery, when he suddenly remembered dying, and realized the dog beside him had been dead for years, as had his horse. Confused, he wondered what was happening, and where the trail was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall that looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, was a tall arch topped by a golden letter "H" that glowed in the sunlight. Standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like gold.
He rode toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. Parched and tired out by his journey, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'
'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.
'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.
'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'
As the gate began to open, the cowboy asked, 'Can I bring my partners, too?'
'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'
The cowboy thought for a moment, then turned back to the road and continued riding, his dog trotting by his side.
After another long ride, at the top of another hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a ranch gate that looked as if it had never been closed. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
'Excuse me,' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'
'Sure, there's a pump right over there. Help yourself.'
'How about my friends here?' the traveler gestured to the dog and his horse.
'Of course! They look thirsty, too,' said the man.
The trio went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with buckets beside it. The traveler filled a cup and the buckets with wonderfully cool water and took a long drink, as did his horse and dog.
When they were full, he walked back to the man who was still standing by the tree; 'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.
'This is Heaven,' he answered.
'That's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'
'Oh, you mean the place with the glitzy, gold street and fake pearly gates? That's hell.'
'Doesn't it make you angry when they use your name like that?'
'Not at all. Actually, we're happy they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
In 1962, at the height of the Cold War (some of us are old enough to remember), Bob Dylan wrote this song in reaction to big media pushes for fallout shelters. There is an uncanny resemblance to our Covid-19 panic.
It is a song that affirms that humans must live their lives and not be crushed under irrational fears. I find the phrase, “When I go to my grave, my head will be high,” very uplifting today:
I will not go down under the ground
"Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' 'round
An' I will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave my head will be high,
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
There's been rumors of war and wars that have been
The meaning of the life has been lost in the wind
And some people thinkin' that the end is close by
"Stead of learnin' to live they are learning to die.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
I don't know if I'm smart but I think I can see
When someone is pullin' the wool over me
And if this war comes and death's all around
Let me die on this land 'fore I die underground.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
There's always been people that have to cause fear
They've been talking of the war now for many long years
I have read all their statements and I've not said a word
But now Lawd God, let my poor voice be heard.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
If I had rubies and riches and crowns
I'd buy the whole world and change things around
I'd throw all the guns and the tanks in the sea
For they are mistakes of a past history.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
Let me drink from the waters where the mountain streams flood
Let me smell of wildflowers flow free through my blood
Let me sleep in your meadows with the green grassy leaves
Let me walk down the highway with my brother in peace.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
Go out in your country where the land meets the sun
See the craters and the canyons where the waterfalls run
Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho
Let every state in this union seep in your souls.
And you'll die in your footsteps
Before you go down under the ground.
It is a song that affirms that humans must live their lives and not be crushed under irrational fears. I find the phrase, “When I go to my grave, my head will be high,” very uplifting today:
I will not go down under the ground
"Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' 'round
An' I will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave my head will be high,
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
There's been rumors of war and wars that have been
The meaning of the life has been lost in the wind
And some people thinkin' that the end is close by
"Stead of learnin' to live they are learning to die.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
I don't know if I'm smart but I think I can see
When someone is pullin' the wool over me
And if this war comes and death's all around
Let me die on this land 'fore I die underground.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
There's always been people that have to cause fear
They've been talking of the war now for many long years
I have read all their statements and I've not said a word
But now Lawd God, let my poor voice be heard.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
If I had rubies and riches and crowns
I'd buy the whole world and change things around
I'd throw all the guns and the tanks in the sea
For they are mistakes of a past history.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
Let me drink from the waters where the mountain streams flood
Let me smell of wildflowers flow free through my blood
Let me sleep in your meadows with the green grassy leaves
Let me walk down the highway with my brother in peace.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
Go out in your country where the land meets the sun
See the craters and the canyons where the waterfalls run
Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho
Let every state in this union seep in your souls.
And you'll die in your footsteps
Before you go down under the ground.
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Almost any music by JS Bch is uplifting. This piece with the modern double entendre meaning, "Air on the G String," always brings a smile to dirty-minded CF folk. And played by the fetching Korean, Yoon Kyung Cho, just adds to the pleasure.
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
I've always loved the obscure Dylan song "If You Gotta Go" a very simple, very humorous song about a boy wanting a girl. Particularly the verse:
"! am just a poor boy, baby
Lookin' to connect
But I certainly don't want you thinkin'
That I ain't got any respect"
But the song took on a whole new level of sophistication (at least to one who is illiterate in French) when the amazing British group Fairport Convention recorded it en Français:
English Lyrics
Listen to me, baby
There's something you must see
I want to be with you, gal
If you want to be with me
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
It ain't that I'm questionin' you
To take part in any quiz
It's just that I ain't got no watch
An' you keep askin' me what time it is
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
I am just a poor boy, baby
Lookin' to connect
But I certainly don't want you thinkin'
That I ain't got any respect
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
You know I'd have nightmares
And a guilty conscience, too
If I kept you from anything
That you really wanted to do
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
It ain't that I'm wantin'
Anything you never gave before
It's just that I'll be sleepin' soon
It'll be too dark for you to find the door
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
"! am just a poor boy, baby
Lookin' to connect
But I certainly don't want you thinkin'
That I ain't got any respect"
But the song took on a whole new level of sophistication (at least to one who is illiterate in French) when the amazing British group Fairport Convention recorded it en Français:
English Lyrics
Listen to me, baby
There's something you must see
I want to be with you, gal
If you want to be with me
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
It ain't that I'm questionin' you
To take part in any quiz
It's just that I ain't got no watch
An' you keep askin' me what time it is
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
I am just a poor boy, baby
Lookin' to connect
But I certainly don't want you thinkin'
That I ain't got any respect
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
You know I'd have nightmares
And a guilty conscience, too
If I kept you from anything
That you really wanted to do
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
It ain't that I'm wantin'
Anything you never gave before
It's just that I'll be sleepin' soon
It'll be too dark for you to find the door
But if you got to go
It's all right
But if you got to go, go now
Or else you gotta stay all night
Silent_Water
Tribune
Aah! The French language, music of all times, women and their culture ... I love them all although I am only German, so I would like to add these stories here (maybe, some links do not work at once, so I try to list them here in a way, you can copy them):
Sometimes, it is strange how human memories work - maybe especially mine - and the uplifting aspects come in a flow of thoughts without really being rationally connected to each other.
For example, the classic music here in this thread reminded me of some almost historical shows in Europe's TV channels because when there is an international broadcast in Europe - and Germany had many of them since the mid 1960's because of the German-speaking neighbour countries Austria and Switzerland - the TV stations had some work to to in those "old times" because there were different TV systems (PAL in Germany / SECAM in France etc.) and it was not so easy to broadcast the same TV shows like the European song contest "Grand Prix d'Eurovision de la Chanson" simultaneously in different countries.
These international European broadcasts always started until today with the baroque Prélude to the "Te Deum" of Marc-Antoine Charpentier, and so, this is probably the most heard melody in Europe of which relatively few people know the origin:
(European joke: Why does this guy always take part at the beginning of the "Grand Prix" although he never won a prize there?)
Today, there is even a German text to this "Hymn of Europe" which does not sound so bad, I think:
OK, now this reminded me somehow of a French TV show of the biggest music show ever in France by Mylène Farmer, who was and still is a superstar there but almost unknown in many other European countries because of the language barrier. These are two songs from her legendary show in the "Stade de France" in 2009 on her 48th birthday (!!!) with 80.000 spectators because the stadium was sold out and the show was later an Eurovision broadcast in French-speaking countries:
---https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ7L9XLjBic---
And this reminded me of "Alizée" (= in principle the name of a stormy French passat-wind) who was a discovery by Mylène Farmer because Farmer wrote the hit-song "Lolita" (remember Vladimir Nabokov's book?), but was too old to sing it, but Alizée was perfect for this song. This girl was a natural dancer, had a good voice and never stood still for a single moment:
You will probably never see again a girl in Europe in an evening show sing and dance so sexy like this (no one ever asked what is this song about and who needs the silly text at all?):
---
And because she was extremely sexy and self-confident (I think, she had a tattoo with a Disney fairy holding a machine-gun in her hands, saying this is me), she was an idol for many young French girls like this one. As far as I understood these fast-speaking French, the young girl's absolute idol was "Alizée" and some accidents made it impossible for her to visit one of Alizée's concerts, so she collected everything of her in a maniac manner. Now, there was a show on French TV, in which a fan could be suprised by the star meeting him and visiting her or him at home at last. The mother was so sad about her daughter's misfortune never to be able to visit with her a concert of Alizée that she wrote to the TV station and they chose her daughter to be suprised. Knowing that she collected everything of Alizée she could find, they made a special advertising photo in a shoe shop on a prepared shopping tour with her mother and sister. The picture of which they were sure, she would beg her mother to buy it, was then said to have been ordered the same day by another crazy female fan and she would meet her in two hours or so when she would come to buy the picture. When they came back, Alizée herself entered singing the shoe shop and the reaction of this young French girl to suddenly see her similar young "idol & goddess" by surprise is lovely, uplifting and a bit heart-braking at the same time:
--- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4AEHmPZvTw---
I love to see both of their reactions and their pure - partly tearful - beauty in this video.
Sometimes, it is strange how human memories work - maybe especially mine - and the uplifting aspects come in a flow of thoughts without really being rationally connected to each other.
For example, the classic music here in this thread reminded me of some almost historical shows in Europe's TV channels because when there is an international broadcast in Europe - and Germany had many of them since the mid 1960's because of the German-speaking neighbour countries Austria and Switzerland - the TV stations had some work to to in those "old times" because there were different TV systems (PAL in Germany / SECAM in France etc.) and it was not so easy to broadcast the same TV shows like the European song contest "Grand Prix d'Eurovision de la Chanson" simultaneously in different countries.
These international European broadcasts always started until today with the baroque Prélude to the "Te Deum" of Marc-Antoine Charpentier, and so, this is probably the most heard melody in Europe of which relatively few people know the origin:
(European joke: Why does this guy always take part at the beginning of the "Grand Prix" although he never won a prize there?)
Today, there is even a German text to this "Hymn of Europe" which does not sound so bad, I think:
OK, now this reminded me somehow of a French TV show of the biggest music show ever in France by Mylène Farmer, who was and still is a superstar there but almost unknown in many other European countries because of the language barrier. These are two songs from her legendary show in the "Stade de France" in 2009 on her 48th birthday (!!!) with 80.000 spectators because the stadium was sold out and the show was later an Eurovision broadcast in French-speaking countries:
---https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ7L9XLjBic---
And this reminded me of "Alizée" (= in principle the name of a stormy French passat-wind) who was a discovery by Mylène Farmer because Farmer wrote the hit-song "Lolita" (remember Vladimir Nabokov's book?), but was too old to sing it, but Alizée was perfect for this song. This girl was a natural dancer, had a good voice and never stood still for a single moment:
You will probably never see again a girl in Europe in an evening show sing and dance so sexy like this (no one ever asked what is this song about and who needs the silly text at all?):
---
And because she was extremely sexy and self-confident (I think, she had a tattoo with a Disney fairy holding a machine-gun in her hands, saying this is me), she was an idol for many young French girls like this one. As far as I understood these fast-speaking French, the young girl's absolute idol was "Alizée" and some accidents made it impossible for her to visit one of Alizée's concerts, so she collected everything of her in a maniac manner. Now, there was a show on French TV, in which a fan could be suprised by the star meeting him and visiting her or him at home at last. The mother was so sad about her daughter's misfortune never to be able to visit with her a concert of Alizée that she wrote to the TV station and they chose her daughter to be suprised. Knowing that she collected everything of Alizée she could find, they made a special advertising photo in a shoe shop on a prepared shopping tour with her mother and sister. The picture of which they were sure, she would beg her mother to buy it, was then said to have been ordered the same day by another crazy female fan and she would meet her in two hours or so when she would come to buy the picture. When they came back, Alizée herself entered singing the shoe shop and the reaction of this young French girl to suddenly see her similar young "idol & goddess" by surprise is lovely, uplifting and a bit heart-braking at the same time:
--- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4AEHmPZvTw---
I love to see both of their reactions and their pure - partly tearful - beauty in this video.
Last edited by a moderator:
Silent_Water
Tribune
I just try to find out if these links to Alizée's songs work better than in my last posting here and why ...
(oh those good old times only 17 years ago when not everyone in the audience had a blinking smartphone!):
(oh those good old times only 17 years ago when not everyone in the audience had a blinking smartphone!):
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
The sixties Scottish Folk Singer Donovon (Donovan Phillips Leitch, Maryhill, Glasgow), not my favorite, but he wrote a few good songs. This was, IMHO, his best. Performed here by Sarah Lee Guthrie, who seems to have inherited much of the musical talents of her father and grandfather.
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Singing of hard times can be uplifting. Folk Song from Newfoundland.
poem21045
Tribunus Plebis
Oh, come now, Prae Prae (may I call you Prae Prae? it's more refined than PP). Donovan wrote some incredibly deep, transcendent lyrics!
Take, for example, this song, so full of significant sartorial splendor!
I Love My Shirt
Do you have a shirt that you really love,
One that you feel so groovy in?
You don't even mind if it starts to fade,
That only makes it nicer still.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
Do you have some jeans that you really love,
Ones that you feel so groovy in?
You don't even mind if they start to fray
That only makes them nicer still.
I love my jeans, I love my jeans,
My jeans are so comfortably lovely.
I love my jeans, I love my jeans,
My jeans are so comfortably lovely.
When they are taken to the cleaners,
I can't wait to get them home again.
Yes, I take 'em to the cleaners
And there they wash them in a stream,
Scrub a rub dub dub
And there they wash them in a stream -
Know what I mean.
Do you have some shoes that you really love,
Ones that you feel so flash in?
You don't even mind if they start to get some holes in
That only makes them nicer still.
I love my shoes, I love my shoes,
My shoes are so comfortably lovely.
I love my jeans, I love my jeans,
My jeans are so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
In fact I love my wardrobe.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.
I assume I have made my case; no more need be said.
Silent_Water
Tribune
This deeply philosophical text before about the "comfortably lovely shirt" reminded me of one of the most famous German-Swiss-Austrian movies in the 1950's in which all these countries were making a funny, lovely, tragic and bitter-sweet story (yes, all of this at once in one movie is possible and made this movie almost immortal in German speaking countries!) out of the missed "good old times" when there was not the "Iron Curtain" yet between West and Eastern Europe.
The story of the movie was that a German student was making holidays - probably in the "roaring" 1920's - and driving from Austria to Hungary's capital Budapest he gets stuck in a small Hungarian village with a big name on its train station ...
(you see: not only the Germans use looong words in Europe!)
... in which a beautiful young Hungarian girl (in reality the Swiss actress Liselotte Pulver) immediately falls in love with him, ...
... and in this scene at a small public festival at night, she starts crying tears when she hears that he must leave again the next day, but he tells her he will come back and tries to console her by asking her what this Hungarian song is about which is just played:
She answers in tears that this is a very famous funny Hungarian folk song about the
- "little beautiful silver button on a Hungarian girl's costume".
- "OK, and now they are playing the second verse. What are they singing?"
- "Beautiful little silver button on a Hungarian girl's costume. ... The third verse is very similar ..."
Unfortunately, he must leave in the morning before he knows all the verses and because of the changing times, they never meet again, but he never could forget her.
The story of the movie was that a German student was making holidays - probably in the "roaring" 1920's - and driving from Austria to Hungary's capital Budapest he gets stuck in a small Hungarian village with a big name on its train station ...
(you see: not only the Germans use looong words in Europe!)... in which a beautiful young Hungarian girl (in reality the Swiss actress Liselotte Pulver) immediately falls in love with him, ...
... and in this scene at a small public festival at night, she starts crying tears when she hears that he must leave again the next day, but he tells her he will come back and tries to console her by asking her what this Hungarian song is about which is just played:
She answers in tears that this is a very famous funny Hungarian folk song about the
- "little beautiful silver button on a Hungarian girl's costume".
- "OK, and now they are playing the second verse. What are they singing?"
- "Beautiful little silver button on a Hungarian girl's costume. ... The third verse is very similar ..."
Unfortunately, he must leave in the morning before he knows all the verses and because of the changing times, they never meet again, but he never could forget her.
Jackie1111
Tribune
I had never heard of Alizee, but I LOVED the first video. She is so adorable and such a sexy dancer!
