the beauty (in tragedy) i missed because of a boy

i've already talked with someone about this today, but i can't believe i never really listened to the words in this song.  i want to cry.

.....

river

young and strong hollywood son

in the early morning light

this star fell down

on sunset boulevard

young and strong beautiful one

that we embraced so close

is gone

was torn away

let the youth of america mourn

include him in their prayers

let his image linger on

repeat it everywhere

with candles, with flowers

he was one of ours

one of ours

why don't you let him be?

he's gone

we know

give his mother and his father peace

your vulture's candor

your casual slander

you murder his memory

he's gone

we know

it's nothing but a tragedy

lay to rest your soul and body

lay beside your name

lay to rest your rage

your hunger and amazing grace...

with candles, with flowers

you were one of ours

one of ours

i saw cameras expose your life

i heard rumours explode with lies

i saw children in tears

cry and crowd around the sight

of where you had collapsed that day

where your last breath and word

had been sighed

where your heart had burst

and where you had died...

i saw how they were lost in grieving

all half believing you were gone

oh the loss and the pain of it

crime and the shame of it

you were gone

it was such a nightmare raving,

"how could we save him

from himself?"

a song like this should be written for everyone gone.

Comments

[amy]

his birthday was six weeks before mine. i always thought he might have been my twin. my mom called me on halloween to tell me he was dead. i had been married less than year. i still think of him when i am driving alone or with my kids in the back seat. i wish i'd had a chance to see him grow up with me, to read about his wife and kids in a magazine. i wish he was still here. i think i will always wish he was still here.

[steph]

amy, i wanted you to be the first commenter, because i know you know. i've had the song on repeat most of the afternoon, and it hasn't lost the effect of making me sad again. so part of this post was for you - not to make you sad, but to share these words with you. i wish he was still here, too.

[radioreb]

He and his band played my college and he hunga around and kicked it with us for hours after. I lived in LA and hung out at the Viper Room in the days surrounding his death. The tragedy of his talent and trouble is overwhelming. He would have been so great had he had more years to run. Cool poem/ lyric. I missed the title, and thought, "Whoa, this is just like River." I'll work to be more observant.

[steph]

chris - i'm glad you got to kick it with him, he seemed like a laid back and cool person. it really is tragic that his suffering led to such an early end.

and for being more observant...we both need to work on that, apparently, since it took me eight years to find these lyrics hidden in a cd i used to listen to daily...

thanks for sharing your story. i would like to hear more, if there is any.