Take a Giant Step
Don’s been playin’ his guitar a lot lately, and singin’. The other night, he asked me to look up the lyrics to a song called “Take a Giant Step.” I said, “By the Monkees?”
He said, “No. It’s not Monkees,” and he gave me a look like “Get real.”
I knew it must be Monkees. I didn’t want to ruin what might be construed a romantic moment by one who isn’t inherently romantic. So, I Googled this dude who calls himself Taj Mahal and “Giant Step.” Sure enough. I printed out the lyrics and chords. I didn’t want to argue because Don had told me he wanted to play me this song that reminded him of me.
He played this cool blues/country type thing. The words were the Monkees by Boyce and Hart, written for a television show in 1967. However … I own the Monkees box set and all of the albums. I’ve had the original albums autographed by Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz in person. I want a tattoo of the Monkees guitar logo on my ankle. I knew it was a Monkees tune. The cool thing was Don had thought of a song that made him think of me. He was going to sing it to me and play the guitar.
He struck it up, and it was the first time I’d ever really heard the lyrics. It spoke to me. Don spoke to me. He thought of this song about a woman who couldn’t leave yesterday behind. It was about a man who wanted to take his woman’s hand and help her relieve herself of the worries of today.
My man sings like John Prine. Sorta. He sounds better to me. He has a funny southern accent. He was playing his guitar and singing to me a song that I was so familiar with but that I had never actually “heard.”
Look at these lyrics again, faithful reader, and download Taj Mahal’s version off Limewire. I think you’ll hear it for the first time too.
Taj Mahal
Take A Giant Step
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Though you played at love and lost
And sorrow’s turned your heart to frost
I will melt your heart again
Remember the feeling as a child
When you woke up and morning smiled
It’s time, it’s time, it’s time you felt like that again
There is just no percentage in remembering the past
It’s time you learned to live again and love at last
Come with me, leave your yesterday, your yesterday behind
And take a giant step outside your mind
You stare at me with disbelief
You say for you there’s no relief
But girl, I swear it won’t do you no harm
Don’t sit there in your lonely room
Just looking back inside that gloom
Mama, that’s not were you belong
Come with me, I’ll take you where the taste of life is green
N’ Everyday everyday hold on woman just got to be seen
Come with me leave, your yesterday, your yesterday behind
And take a giant step outside your mind
Though you failed at love and lost
And sorrow’s turned your heart to frost
I will mend your heart again
Remember the feeling as a child
When you woke up and morning smiled
It’s time, it’s time its time you felt like that again
There is just no percentage in remembering the past
It’s time you learned to live again and love at last
Come with me leave your yesterday your yesterday behind
And take a giant step outside your mind
Stay cool,
Julie
10:30 p.m. 7/14/08
