Sending Me Angels (and introducing my 'songs' tag)

I've been listening to my Kathy Mattea CDs (in chronological order) the last few days and when I reached 1997's Love Travels I got an idea for an occasional blog post category. (I don't know that I'll do it very often, just if the mood strikes and I feel like sharing.)

I have a lot of CDs in my collection and sometimes an artist or CD I know I like ends up being neglected for quite a while for no good reason other than just "so much to listen to, so little time." Even so I will often get to a certain track or two on such a CD and always find myself repeating just those one or two tracks several times over and over, immersing myself in the music, the message, the mood. Sometimes a particular song inevitably triggers certain thoughts or evokes a feeling that resonates deeply no matter whatever else is going on in my brain at the time.

So that's how I got the idea to implement a "Songs" tag to highlight such favorite tunes. Obviously, this is my first such attempt and I hope you like it. I will try to find and present links to audio whenever possible, probably on last.fm, but maybe even on YouTube if I can manage to find something that looks worthy enough. (I actually kind of prefer last.fm because it's NOT visual, but maybe I'm just old-fashioned when it comes to music. Neither site works well with my dialup connection, but I can usually find something suitable even if I don't check it out all the way through myself.)

I'll also try to present the lyrics and performer/writing credits each time. So here's my inaugural "Songs" post...

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This first tune is probably the most "angelic" in my collection and it now always reminds me of my good Steely friend and loyal commenter, always ready with a word of encouragement and a positive outlook.

And though it's not an actual Christmas song, with its theme it just seems appropriate at this time of year as a little reminder of what the holidays maybe should be about, but we too often seem to forget. Consider this an audio angel on top of my virtual tree. With it comes my sincere wish for a happy holiday season and peace to everyone who happens to wander by here:


SENDING ME ANGELS (4:16)
Performed by Kathy Mattea
Written by Jerry Lynn Williams and Frankie Miller
_______________

I walked down to the river, stood on the shore
Seems like the devil's always tryin' to get in my door
Just when I thought I couldn't take any more
Here he comes again, my friend

He keeps sending me angels from up on high
He keeps sending me angels to teach me to fly
He keeps sending me angels sweet and true
He keeps sending me angels just like you

As I stand on this mountain face to the wind
Amazed at the number of times we've all sinned
And the countless enemies that should've been friends
Oooooohhh, here he comes again

He keeps sending me angels, here they come a flyin'
He keeps sending me angels to keep me from cryin'
He keeps sending me angels so I won't be blue
He keeps sending me angels just like you

Some say that it's comin', I say it's already here
The love that's among us through the joy and the fear
When I look in your eyes everything is so clear
My friend, here he comes again

He keeps sending me angels from up on high
He keeps sending me angels to teach me to fly
He keeps sending me angels sweet and true
He keeps sending me angels just like you

Sending me angels from up on high
He keeps sending me angels to teach me to fly
He keeps sending me angels sweet and true
He keeps sending me angels just like you

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Now from the same album, I present what I think is a simply beautiful, but sad song (I've always had a thing for sad songs for as long as I can remember) about a love triangle and the nature of love itself, what we want it to be, what it perhaps should be, and how it's so hard to tell the difference sometimes. I keep repeating this one over and over even as I compose this entry—there's just something about it:


IF THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL LOVE (4:29)
Performed by Kathy Mattea
Written by Lionel Cartwright
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I can't believe she had the nerve
To show her face again
I can't believe she got to you
And now you're givin' in
Remember how she walked away
For reasons she could not explain?
Now she says she's changed her mind
And wants you back after all this time

If that's what she calls lovin' you
If that's the best that she can do
Darlin' I can promise you
It's not what you're worthy of
Is that what you call livin' proof?
Is that what you call a dream come true?
Darlin' you're not dreamin' big enough
If that's what you call love

After all she put you through
Does she expect you to pretend
That she has never lied to you
And she never would again?
Now that her world has fallen through
She figures she'll just fall back on you
She needs you now, but don't be confused
She only wants what she can use

If that's what she calls lovin' you
If that's the best that she can do
Darlin' I can promise you
It's not what you're worthy of
Is that what you call livin' proof?
Is that what you call a dream come true?
Darlin' you're not dreamin' big enough
If that's what you call love

Is that what you call livin' proof?
Is that what you call a dream come true?
Darlin' you're not dreamin' big enough
If that's what you call love