Neil Young - Prairie Wind

[lizzytysh]

Yes, it does, Diane ~ and thank G~d for music !


Love,
Lizzy

[John K.]

John K said:

I have one that revolves around the song "Bingo" (as in B-I-N-G-O, there was a farmer had a dog) that perhaps I'll tell one day.

Oh? I'm all ears...

Many years ago, my friend Tom and I decided to make a day trip from here in Buffalo to Cooperstown, New York, to see the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cooperstown is a very, very little town near the middle of New York State, there is no "good" way to get there, it's about a five hour drive from here. We went Sunday of Columbus Day weekend, Columbus Day is always celebrated on a Monday in October, so we were unconcerned with being out early and home very late.

After a full day at the museum (Tom and I are both HUGE Baseball fans), we went out to dinner, and started to leave Cooperstown at about 8:00 p.m. The town is up in the mountains, and despite the fact it was only mid-October it started to snow. We drove the hour and a half north to Syracuse, where one connects to the Interstate (NYS Thruway) and a straight shot home.

It's snowing, hard, icy, very nasty. One lane in each direction. The road is dark, we're in the middle of nowhereland. We are the last car in a long line of cars driving north, and there's a long line of cars going south to the left of us (remember, here in the US we drive on the right side of the road).

We had gotten tired of listening to tapes, and so to calm the driver's nerves (me) we were singing stupid songs. We were on "Bingo". The car in front of me suddenly slammed on his breaks (I have no idea why). I had to do the same. The front of my car started to turn left, with the back fishtailing to the right. There was traffic coming in the other direction, and I was headed for it.

I struggled to hold the steering wheel, trying to turn right and keep going in my lane, to stop the car from going into the southbound traffic. I was sliding sideways. Finally the last car going south passed me, just as my car broke free of my resistance and moved into and through the southbound lane, across the shoulder, and into a snowbank.

Inside the car, the sound of two men singing:

"There was a farmer had a dog
And Bingo was his name-o.
B I N G O
B I AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So there we were sitting in the snowbank catching our breaths. Tom hugged me and said "You were great!". I carefully backed up and drove slowly, slowly, until we got to Syracuse, where we stopped for a long and much needed break.

[lizzytysh]

GREEEEAAAAAT Description, John! I was with you all the way on it ~ and felt every nuance of change. Lucky, LUCKY you!!! Good job keeping it under control for the seconds it needed to be there. That song will never have the same meaning for you, either, will it? Thanks for sharing this... another reason I'm glad to be living out of the cold, frozen north . I remember SOOOOOOO well those identical driving conditions and being the one behind the wheel .

~ Lizzy

[Diane]

remember, here in the US we drive on the right side of the road

You mean the wrong side .

Great story, John . Controlling a vehicle in such circumstances takes great presence of mind.

One thing about near-misses is that you suddenly become enormously aware of how good it feels to be alive. And another thing about them is that they always make a good story.

Diane

[Cohen Kid]

I think Neil young is boring

but I did like this one song from this harvest lp... can't remember which one, it's a famous song