Remembering Jimi

Today in 1970 - Jimi Hendrix plays what turns out to be his last ever performance, at the badly controlled and rained out Love and Peace Festival, on the Isle Of Fehmarn, Germany.

Now, I was not alive for the life and times of Jimi Hendrix, and at this moment-I was only an infant and unaware of this. However-I remain a great fan of his, and am hugely affected by his songs and his music in general. Something about him sticks with me in my own music and life as well. In rememberance of that last performance of his, and just to pay homage to his work, I would like to reflect on the following lyrics.

Jimi Hendrix from Electric Ladyland (1968)
1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)

Hurrah i awake from yesterday
Alive but the war is here to stay
So my love catherina and me
Decide to take our last walk
Through the noise to the sea
Not to die but to be re-born
Away from a life so battered and torn....
Forever...
Oh say can you see its really such a mess
Every inch of earth is a fighting nest
Giant pencil and lip-stick tube shaped things
Continue to rain and cause screaming pain
And the arctic stains
From silver blue to bloody red
As our feet find the sand
And the sea is strait ahead..
Strait ahead.....
Well its too bad
That our friends
Cant be with us today
Well thats too bad
"The machine
That we built
Would never save us"
That's what they say
(That's why they aint coming with us today)
And they also said
"It's impossible for man
To live and breath underwater..
Forever" was their main complaint
(Yeah)
And they also threw this in my face:
They said
Anyway
You know good well
It would be beyond the will of God
And the grade of the King
(Grace of the King yeah yeah)

So my darling and I
Make love in the sand
To salute the last moment
Ever on dry land
Our machine has done its work
Played its part well
Without a scratch on our bodies
And we bid it farewell

Starfish and giant foams
Greet us with a smile
Before our heads go under
We take a last look
At the killing noise
Of the out of style...
The out of style, out of style