Tuesday 2 January 2018

Upkeep

"St. James Infirmary," as performed by Louis Armstrong et alia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzcpUdBw7gs

I recently stayed overnight in a local hospital because a part of my body that had been proceeded upon normally and safely in a local clinic by highly qualified and competent medical professionals entered the subset of statistically anomalous phenomena that force all those poking and probing pros to make you sign a paper that acknowledges the reality of inner organic variety. My particular anomaly involved a significant loss of blood, but I was taken care of with great respect and kindness and ability, and when I arrived home with my clean bill of health, I started wondering about songs involving hospitals. This song topped the Google list. I'd listened to it before, and maybe because I'm probably just generally sadder now than I was then, it struck me as a very sad song. But the celestial trumpet and clarinet and voice also cheered me up because, well, sad songs, if they're beautifully played and sung, can't not make you feel happy, especially just after you've been loved by strangers. It's a nice little irony.