I've been committing a lot of spare brain cells to pondering the eloquence of old songs, speeches, whatever. And not old like the 60s-I mean jeez, I got a puzzled look from a kid when I mentioned the TV show Bonanza - like I was a fossil or something. Rotten kids. I mean old like 1800s and before. I was thinking about the words to "Battle Hymn of the Republic". At the time it was a hotly political song, sung around the campfires of Union soldiers during the Civil War to remind them of their cause. Of course the Confederates hated it, and had their own anthem-"Dixie",
Where was I? Oh yes, not a fossil. Wait - no. "Battle Hymn of the Republic". I was thinking about the line that goes, "He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored". That is one powerful line. What's it even mean, exactly? Supposedly, the "vintage", or wine, represents the blood of the Confederates. The author is saying, quite vividly, that God is making wine from the disdain, or "wrath" the Southerners felt for the North. In other words, God and the North will be victorious.
My point is, that is one evocative, haunting, and imaginative line. We sing it all the time, but do we realize the power and history of the words we're saying?
This is how I amuse myself while I'm washing dishes, riding my bike, waiting in line at Andronico's - in short, whenever I'm doing something mundane. Geeky? I'm guessing yes. But it's nothing compared to my friend Mean Vick, who compiled an alphabetical list of war slogans without even using Google.
But that's another blog.
