Songs: This House Is Not For Sale

As I've pointed out before, it's amazing how many of the performers I really like were brought to my attention by David Kelley - and then vouchsafed by Mike Kelly (no relation, obviously, although their musical tastes are eerily similar). David had been telling me about Ryan Adams for a couple years but I finally broke down and downloaded a couple of his CDs after listening to This House Is Not For Sale on Pandora a few times. Well, I also read an interview where Adams said that every time he listens to Neil Young's On The Beach it reminds him of how much he still has to learn about song-writing, and that's obviously going to get my attention. Since then I've completely fallen in love with his album Love Is Hell, and it's on a permanent loop on my Nano. Like most folks, I suppose, I associate certain periods of my life or even decades with certain bands or songs. If there is an official song of my 50's it is This House Is Not For Sale. To me, it's really a song about the fact that there is still something going on ("Tell 'em that the house is not for sale; We're still livin' here, how come nobody can tell") whether it is a relationship or just life itself. A few years ago I decided that the house was not for sale. Unfortunately, in the process I caused some people that are very dear to me, especially my ex-wife, a lot of pain, and for that I feel guilt every day. I guess I've been thinking about the song a lot because trips to places like Zanzibar or Beirut - or the potential trips to cities like Samarkand or even Sanaa - are part of that affirmation. Of course, the key to all of this is to not let that desire, like Henderson, the Rain King, become nothing more than an endless litany of "I want. I want. I want."