The Power of Old Songs

Every Friday at 4 PM EDT, I go to a free music ZOOM Jam hosted by Laurie Alsobrook. (You can find the link and join this free jam at MelroseDulcimers.org) Usually, there are 7 to 10 individuals attending. We take turns going around "the screen," which holds those little pictures of all the attendees. When it is your turn, you get to call, and play a song of your choosing. There is no theme. Sometimes I choose to play a song I am preparing for the Send in The Music jam on Saturday. Sometimes I choose to play a song that I haven't played in a long time. It is fun to listen to what others play. Every now and then, someone chooses a song that is particularly poignent. That happened yesterday when Dennis Harris , who lives in the Bay area of California, played a song from my college days. (I graduated from college in 1969.) "We Shall Overcome"is a song I first learned about while our country was embroiled in the Viet Nam War. At the time, young men were being drafted. Many of us were worried about our loved ones. There were many protest songs generated during that time. The songs that have stuck with me through all of these years are songs like: "Where Have All The Flowers Gone," "Blowing In The Wind," "Alice's Restaurant," and "We Shall Oversome." When I hear any of these songs today, I am encouraged because we made it through those difficult times.