And Then Came The Last Days Of May...

[Douglas A. Mitchell]

Here's a little tidbit I posted to the alt.m.boc earlier,
explaining why 'Last Days' is such a special song for me...

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(I posted this to the newsgroup recently when discussing experiences)

It's interesting how many transcendent moments in one's life are
linked to music.  Whether it's an album, a song, or a note, a very
primeval set of sensations & feelings seem to be triggered.  My
own little B.O.C. moment happened during my senior year of high
school, during a very late night spent at a local lakeside park with
a few good friends.  It was a lazy, hazy summer night, and we had
decided that we were going to wander into Gene Coulon Park 'after
dark' and hang out.  The night arrived clear & warm, with an almost
full moon lighting our way.  We arrived at the park in 'an excellent
mood', and prepared to continue through till morning...

Coulon Park wraps around the south end of Lake Washington,
and is a hilly, evergreen & grass swath with several interesting
docks protruding into the lake.  The best of which forms a giant
horseshoe, with several little picnic 'pods' around it's perimeter.
We chose the outermost pod, with an excellent view north across
the Lake to Mercer Island, and the I-90 floating brodge.  I had my
walkman in my jacket pocket, and one of the self-made recordings
I'd brought with included most of B.O.C.'s first three albums...

The transcendent moment appeared without warning during a quiet
stretch of minutes, as I sat by myself in the sunken picnic pod, with
the water lapping up against the side of the float.  I had just flipped
the tape over to side 2, sat back against the wall at one end of the
bench seat, and 'enhanced my mood' again, when I began to sink
into the surroundings.  The full moon slightly west of true north, the
wispy cirrus clouds that shone at the edges in the moonlight, the
whisper of an ever so slight breeze in my hair....

As I melted into the moment, "Then Came The Last Days Of May"
rolled in on the headphones, and I found myself watching the song
playout in the dark water.  The sense of foreboding oozed out of the
music, and into my head.  It was eerie, in an almost scary sense...

As the guitar wound down after the last verse, the tape faded into
'Astronomy', and I continued my long slow ride into darkness.  Not
until side 2 ended did the harsh edges of reality snap back into focus...

At that moment I realized that I would remember this particular night
every time I saw a full moon, and every time I hear 'Last Days Of May'.
And that, Anita, is why it is my favorite B.O.C. song...

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The Snowman.                                         _?_
<dmitchissy at aol.com>                              I

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Douglas A. Mitchell              World Snow T-shirts always available!
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