Me and the Eagle

The eagle looked down on the river below,
And he wrapped his wings round him and he fell like a stone.
And the big salmon fought but the talons held true,
And he shuddered as the world turned from silver to blue.
I stood there in awe though I’d seen it before,
I was born in these mountains and I’ll die here for sure

“Me and the Eagle”

Horse Whisperer Soundtrack

The lyrics above are to Steve Earle’s song, “Me and the Eagle,” which is from the soundtrack of songs from and inspired by The Horse Whisperer. This song perfectly captures the horse whisperer character that Robert Redford plays in the movie. The movie is pretty good, and the the soundtrack album is excellent, including songs by Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Dwight Yoakam.

The film also featured the song “A Soft Place to Fall,” which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song (and should have won). “A Soft Place to Fall” was co-written by and performed by an outstanding new artist who many years later would marry Steve Earle, Allison Moorer.

I like that people post their own versions of songs on YouTube because there is something especially democratic about it.  And occasionally you find nice gems.  Below is John Fullbright’s rendition of Steve Earle’s “Me and the Eagle.”  I had not heard of the guy until seeing his videos on YouTube, and he does a moving cover of this song. Check out the young Oklahoman’s website. I am going to have to listen to more of his music.

Some mornings will find me up above the timberline,
Lonesome don’t seem like much once you’re this high.
When it’s all said and done I usually find,
Me and the eagle are of the same mind.

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    The Missing NY City Hawk & John Denver

    Here in New York, amid all of the celebrity couples, one of the most famous couples has been the red-tailed hawks who have lived for nine years above a Fifth Avenue co-op building overlooking Central Park: Pale Male and Lola. They even have a Facebook page. (Chimesfreedom recently added a Facebook page too.)

    John Denver Aerie

    In the last month, though, Lola has been missing and observers suspect she might have died. Pale Male, who has fathered 26 hawks since first being observed in 1991, has apparently moved on and is courting another mate.

    I am the hawk and there’s blood on my feathers,
    But time is still turning they soon will be dry.
    And all of those who see me, all who believe in me,
    Share in the freedom I feel when I fly

    The story about Lola reminds me of the John Denver song “The Eagle and the Hawk” (maybe you expected The Kinks?). The song was on his 1971 album, Aerie. In the 1970s, John Denver was everywhere. He had numerous hits, he had an Emmy-winning special, he guest starred in TV shows, he hosted the Grammys, he was in a movie with George Burns, and he even guest hosted The Tonight Show. By the end of the 1970s and into the 1980s, though, perhaps partly due to a backlash because of so much exposure or perhaps because he began devoting more of his time on humanitarian and environmental causes, he seemed to largely disappear from pop music. Denver asked to participate in 1985’s “We are the World” recording, but producers denied his request because they thought his participation would hurt the credibility of the project because he was no longer popular.

    Denver died in 1997 in a flying accident. One irony is that during his lifetime, he did more for humanitarian causes than many of the other people who participated in “We Are the World.” And, while many still see him as a lightweight pop star, in later years many have come to recognize his contribution as a great writer of pop songs such as “Rocky Mountain High,” “Annie’s Song,” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Had he spread out the big hits over his lifetime instead of releasing them in a few years during a huge burst of creativity, maybe he would be more highly regarded than he is.

    While one of his first hits came when Peter, Paul, and Mary covered “Leavin’ On a Jet Plane,” he also had a great voice. The power of his voice and his range is on display in singing “The Eagle and the Hawk,” originally written for a documentary and a beautiful song. Maybe if you play it loud enough, Lola will return.

    Bonus “What Were They Thinking Video”: I have no idea why this amateur video of “The Eagle and the Hawk” with a guy in a tie mouthing the words and dancing in the woods has almost 500,000 views.

    What do you think? Leave a comment.

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