"Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing? Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?"
A shrinking number of people will recognize these lyrics from a tune by the American folk-singing group, "Peter, Paul and Mary". The trio, made up of Mary Travers, Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey, had an active career spanning about fifty years, and produced a prolific body of work. Their song, "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?", was an example of their signature sound and oft thought-provoking lyrics. This group seemed to never sing a word that was not part of a conscious stream of earnest angst - or so it seemed.
For instance, in the song "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?", the lyrics evoke a certain sadness, fatality and finality as the verses lead from the innocence of youth through a labyrinth of life and grief back to innocence. The lyrics begin with "where have all the flowers gone - young girls picked them everyone" to "where have all the young girls gone - gone to husbands everyone" to "where have all the husbands gone - gone to soldiers everyone" to "where have all the soldiers gone - gone to graveyards everyone" - to "where have all the graveyards gone - gone to flowers everyone" back full circle to "where have all the flowers gone".
For some reason of logic, unknown to me, this song popped into my head today when I learned of yet another restaurant's closing in my area. A restaurant that I had frequented on occasion (obviously not enough occasions) and that I ate at last Saturday night - the restaurant's final night of business. The other two women I dined with - and myself - had no inkling that within hours after we left, the doors would close for good. The crowd was reasonable in size, the food excellent, and the waitstaff attentive. Zero clues were evident that the establishment was in its final hours of business. I think the only clue as to the real state of the restaurant's financial health was the condition of the once trendy and upscale women's bathroom, which over the past year, had been allowed to become seedy in appearance. This always surprised and perplexed me but, since the food was good, I overlooked this perhaps important detail.
And so I ask, "Where have all the flowers gone?" "Olive", you will be missed.
Ancora imparo
