Blood Brothers
/"Now the hardness of this world slowly grinds your dreams away,
Making a fool's joke out of the promises we make,
And what once seemed black and white turns to so many shades of gray,
We lose ourselves in work to do, work to do and bills to pay,
And it's a ride, ride, ride, and there ain't much cover,
With no one running by your side, my blood brother." - Springsteen
It is the summer of 2017, and that means my brothers and I see another birth year turn over. It is also Father's day shortly, and my brothers are the purest example of great men, great fathers, in my eyes at least. So, I send out this short ode of sorts over the ether, to ping their hearts and send my blood over the miles. I miss you my blood brothers.
We charged the hills, defended our rights and fought good fights. We fought for our name, and fought for pride and reason. I fought for you and your honor, even when you were not there and could not know, and I am sure you did the same for me, I know you did. When it came down to blood and knuckles, we banded together despite any differences, always. When you could not get up, I carried you, and I know you carried me when I could not find the strength to stand on my own. We have been through so much. I miss those days. I regret that the decades and our dreams have separated us, our hearts, our blood. Be careful of the dreams you chase they say, they may take you places you only think you wish to go, sometimes far away from the stuff that really matters. I long for those years when life was simpler, where the choices were simpler. I miss fighting over the last scoop of ice cream, the last bag of potato chips, control of what we would watch on our one black and white TV. I miss the simplicity of seeing you in the school hallway, just the respectful grin and head nod. I miss lunches with you guys. I miss watching over you at recess in grade school, I miss knowing you were doing just the same. I miss our college days together. I miss the shared drinks and laughs and stories with our friends around, making our family of friends bigger and deeper. I miss those days with great empty pain in my heart. I regret the silly fights between us, our misunderstandings and our differences. But, I do not fear these things and the pain borne of them at the time, for I know our blood runs deep and that brothers are never truly separated. I know this because I know that we fight the harshest with those we love because the bond can never be broken, there is no risk too great that we will fracture these bonds, they will endure even into the time of our final ashes.
"Now there's so much that time, time and memory fade away
We got our own roads to ride and chances we got to take
We stood side by side each one fighting for the other
And we said until we died we'd always be blood brothers"
In our youth, selfishness often prevails. Ignorance of what we want prevails. What we often would not do in our youth for someone we love, we would do it in our adult life often without question. I would step in front of a bus for these two heros. Somehow this kind of profound brotherly love makes one's own life feel less significant than our loved ones. My one wish, is that I was wise enough in those younger years to quash the ego and take more for the team, and be kinder to you both. I would do it all differently knowing now what brotherhood stands for and requires to best endure the ages.
Who are your brothers in arms ? You'll find yourself extremely lucky if you can find one person you would take a bullet for, I am blessed. I have two. For my two blood brothers, I remind you of the lyrics below. You will both remember the framed photos with words or lyrics we would share with each other over the years, reminding each of us what is important in life. Brotherhood. Cowboys. Fights. Fishing trips. Camping. Songs like Springsteen's "Blood Brothers" got it right, this song is us, 3 blood brothers just like in the photo and frame. That frame, that gift, sits in a place in my home that I see it every day, and I do not turn away, tears and all at times. I love you guys, God damn, I miss those days of laughter together, of fists and blood, of tears and anger, of adventures and fishing, of laughter and life . . . . of brotherhood, of charging up the hill, all for one and one for all.
There are few things in life that one can unconditionally count on, no matter what the situation. There is nothing as thick, as permanent, as definitively loyal and heart tugging, as blood brother-ship, nothing. If you have a brother or sister, or anyone you love for that matter, and this song does not rip apart your heart, fix the problem. Pick up the phone, say what you must, bury your ego and the issues, make peace. Do it. After all, the problem is, we think we have time.
"Now I don't know how I feel, I don't know how I feel tonight
If I've fallen 'neath the wheel, if I've lost or I gained sight
I don't even know why, I don't know why I made this call
Or if any of this matters anymore after all
But the stars are burning bright like some mystery uncovered
I'll keep moving through the dark with you in my heart, my blood brother"
Happy birthdays and happy Father's Day to two of the best brothers anyone could ever ask for. I love ya, and I miss ya. You are both never far from my thoughts and heart, believe that, in your blood.
-Shawn
We played king of the mountain out on the end
The world come charging up the hill, and we were women and men
Now there's so much that time, time and memory fade away
We got our own roads to ride and chances we got to take
We stood side by side each one fighting for the other
And we said until we died we'd always be blood brothers
Now the hardness of this world slowly grinds your dreams away
Making a fool's joke out of the promises we make
And what once seemed black and white turns to so many shades of gray
We lose ourselves in work to do, work to do and bills to pay
And it's a ride, ride, ride, and there ain't much cover
With no one running by your side, my blood brother
On through the houses of the dead past those fallen in their tracks
Always moving ahead and never looking back
Now I don't know how I feel, I don't know how I feel tonight
If I've fallen 'neath the wheel, if I've lost or I gained sight
I don't even know why, I don't know why I made this call
Or if any of this matters anymore after all
But the stars are burning bright like some mystery uncovered
I'll keep moving through the dark with you in my heart, my blood brother
* from springsteenlyrics.com:
Bruce Springsteen wrote BLOOD BROTHERS in early 1995 in celebration of the brief reunion of the E Street Band – he had disbanded the band in 1989.
" In September 1995 with Neil Strauss for Guitar World, Springsteen told Neil Strauss: "'Blood Brothers' was sort of trying to understand the meaning of friendship as you grow older. I guess I wrote it the night before I went in the studio with the band, and I was trying to sort out what I was doing and what those relationships meant to me now and what they mean to you as you move through your life. Basically, I guess I always felt that the friendships, the loyalties and the relationships, those are the bonds that keep you from slipping into the abyss of self-destructiveness. And without those things, that abyss feels a lot closer, on your heels. I think your own nihilism feels a lot closer without someone to grab you by the arm and pull you out of it and say, 'Hey, come on, you're having a bad day.' So with the song I was trying to sort out the place that those deep friendships played in my life, friendships that I had when I was young. We all grew up together, and people got married and divorced and had babies and went through their addictions and out the other side, and we drove each other crazy."