“We thought we could sit forever in fun
Our chances really was a million to one”

Serendipity can be the strangest thing.

Today, Helen has set us the theme of ‘Friendship’ for Song Lyric Sunday – and only yesterday I published a post about my five most-viewed posts, but only specified four of them. The other (number two on the list) was called ‘Forever in fun’ and was, in part, about friendship. It quoted the lyrics from this song. There are lots of songs about friendship, but my choice for this week was obvious.

While riding on a train goin’ west
I feel asleep for to take my rest
I dreamed a dream that made me sad
Concerning myself and the first few friends I had.

With half-damp eyes I stared into the room
Where my friends and I spent many an afternoon
Where we together weathered many a storm
Laughin’ and singing ’till the early hours of the morn’.

By the old wooden stove where our hats was hung
Our words were told, our songs were sung
Where we longed for nothin’ and were satisfied
Joking and talking about the world outside.

With haunted hearts through the heat and cold
We never thought we could ever get very old
We thought we could sit forever in fun
Our chances really was a million to one.

As easy it was to tell black from white
It was all that easy to tell wrong from right
And our choices they were few and the thought never hit
That the one road we traveled would ever shatter and split.

Now many a year has passed and gone
Many a gamble has been lost and won
And many a road taken by many a first friend
And each one I’ve never seen again.

I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
That we could sit simply in that room again
Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat
I’d give it all gladly if our lives could be like that.

Lyrics by Bob Dylan

And while on the subject of serendipity, this is a photograph of the very same college room where I lived in 1970-71 and where my friends and I listened to this song. It hasn’t changed much, apart from having a carpet rather than a rug, and rather better curtains.

Song Lyric Sunday 23 July 2017