The
Kingston Trio was big, as well as Hoyt Axton and Miriam Makeba. Peter, Paul and
Mary had begun making their mark in folk music, and I listened to their music
on my transistor radio (remember that imported phenomenon?).
One
song that played every night because it kept getting requested was “Cool
Water.” I have to admit that I called in a request more than a couple of times.
I forget exactly who recorded that version of the song—maybe Hank Williams, or
the Sons of the Pioneers.
At the
time, I considered it a nice song that comforted me during my tedium of
studying and trying not to flunk out of college. I had the lyrics memorized,
but never gave their meaning much thought.
That’s
changed. Last year, I bought myself a tenor ukulele, a far cry from the Goya
acoustic guitar I used to play during my college folk group performances. I
also bought a book of folk-type music with chord progressions. One song in the
book was “Cool Water,” written by Bob Nolan in 1942. The song was 75 years old
and it still moved me.
I paid
attention to the lyrics this time ... very interesting. It’s a simple story of
a man (prospector? wanderer?) and his mule named Dan, as they encounter a
mirage. Simple enough, yet I started interpreting the mirage as a vision, and
gave religious reference to the various elements in the song.
All day I’ve faced the barren waste
Without a taste of water—cool, clear water.
Old Dan and I with throats burned dry
And souls that cry for water—cool, clear water.
Jeez, I thought, the devil always tempts us. Sometimes it’s an apple, this time it’s a mirage that
feeds on our wants and desires.
Keep a-movin’ Dan, don’t you listen to him, Dan!
He’s a devil, not a man
And he spreads the burning sand
With water—cool, clear water.
So
then, I thought, who is this “devil, not a man” to whom the singer is
referring? It can’t be Dan the mule, can it? I had thought that “Dan” was a
nickname for the devil? I was wrong, of course, but see where my mind was
leading me?
Dan, can you see that big green tree
Where the water’s runnin’ free
And it’s waiting there for you and me?
I think
the “big green tree” is an allegory of Heaven that’s waiting for us to do good
things so it can slake our thirst for forgiveness.
The nights are cool, and I’m a fool
Each star’s a pool of water—cool, clear water.
And way up there, He’ll hear our prayer
And show us where there’s water—cool, clear water.
Dan’s feet are sore, he’s yearning for
Just one thing more than water—cool, clear water.
Like me, I guess, he’d like to rest
Where there’s no quest for water—cool, clear water.
Cool
water, a taste of Heaven, is our reward. All God wants to hear is that we need
the cool, clear water that he offers, along with rest in the shade of the big
green tree. Cool, eternal rest, away from the fires of hell. Our ultimate
reward is waiting, and we will yearn and suffer no longer.
Or
maybe, I’ve been over-thinking this.
“CoolWater” by Marty Robbins ... my favorite version.
