1/28/19: Has this ever happened to you? You’re watching one of your favorite shows, you pick up the remote to slide past the commercials, and then a commercial starts that sucks you right in. Over the last few days, that happened to me every time the new Apple ad came on. There was a song I just could not resist. After trying to ignore it a time or two, I finally succumbed, found the song in about two seconds (don’t you just love the internet?), and listened in delighted amazement. Even Beloved liked it! Behold the goofy wonder that is Come Along by Cosmo Sheldrake.

As you listen, you’ll notice some very unusual sounds in the mix. Sheldrake says the instruments used to make the track include some standard brass, woodwind, and stringed instruments, plus an Armenian duduk, beer bottles, and a vacuum cleaner. That must have been a really fun recording session!

And the lyrics are as unexpected as the instruments. Do I know what the song means? Don’t be absurd. Of course I don’t. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s going to be playing (joyfully) in my head for at least the next 72 hours.

You can follow Cosmo Sheldrake on his website and pretty much everywhere else: Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

(After you give this a listen or twelve, make sure you scroll down to the bottom. I have a favor to ask.)

Come Along

by Cosmo Sheldrake

Come along catch a Heffalump,
Sit with me on a muddy clump,
We’ll sing a song of days gone by.

Run along now don’t be glum,
Get you gone now have some fun,
Don’t be long for the end is nigh.

Don’t let moments pass along and waste before your eyes,
March with me and the borogoves,
Come with me and the slithy toves,
And never ask us why.

Come come come come come along now,
Run away from the hum-drum,
We’ll go to a place that is safe from
greed, anger and boredom.

We’ll dance and sing till sundown,
and feast with abandon,
We’ll sleep when the morning comes,
and we’ll rise by the sound of the birdsongs.

We’ll be here when the world slows down,
and the sunbeams fade away,
Keeping time by a pendulum as the fabric starts to fray.

There’s no such thing as time to kill,
nor time to throw away,
So once for the bright sky,
Twice for the pig sty,
Thrice for another day.

Come come come come come along now,
Run away from the hum-drum,
We’ll go to a place that is safe from,
Greed anger and boredom.

We’ll dance and sing till sundown,
And feast with abandon,
We’ll sleep when the morning comes,
And we’ll rise by the sound of the birdsongs.

Come with me catch a rare type specimen,
Cuddle up with a hesitant skeleton,
We’ll break our fast with friends.

Once we’re fed we shall disappear rapidly,
Many moons to the west of here and happily,
Our journey never ends.

Shut your ears when sirens sing,
Tie armbands to your feet,
Listen up and you won’t go wrong again,
Float along on a verse-less song and then,
Get to where the two ends meet.

Come come come come come along now,
Run away from the hum-drum,
We’ll go to a place that is safe from,
greed anger and boredom.

We’ll dance and sing till sundown,
and feast with abandon,
We’ll sleep when the morning comes,
and we’ll rise by the sound of the birdsongs.

So before I leave you to your day, I have a request. I’ve been enjoying all of Sheldrake’s quirky, evocative music, and while I was giving it a first listen, I started reading the comments. It seems that artists are finding this great music to draw and paint to. So my challenge is this. Give one of his tracks a listen. Paint, draw, dance, do whatever it is that you do to express yourself, then let me know how it went. I’m fascinated to see what this inspires. (Kind of like my synesthesia post.) Ready… go!