Bob Dylan on Hope
This is something my son shared with me in a paper he wrote for school. I will share his take on it later but wanted to get this out today to everyone. It is really a message about hope.
As recited by Bob Dylan, Town Hall, New York, NY, Apr 12, 1963,
released on “The Bootleg Series, Volumes 1-3,” 1991;
transcribed by Manfred Helfert.
Published lyrics © 1973 Special Rider Music
There’s this book comin’ out, an’ they asked me to write something about Woody…
Sort of like “What does Woody Guthrie mean to you?” in twenty-five words…And I couldn’t do it — I wrote out five pages and… I have it here, it’s…
Have it here by accident, actually… but I’d like to say this out loud…
So… if you can sort of roll along with this thing here, this is called
“Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie.”When your head gets twisted and your mind grows numb
When you think you’re too old, too young, too smart or too dumb
When you’re laggin’ behind an’ losin’ your pace
In the slow-motion crawl or life’s busy race
No matter whatcha doin’ if you start givin’ up
If the wine don’t come to the top of your cup
If the wind got you sideways it’s one hand holdin’ on
And the other starts slippin’ and the feelin’ is gone
And your train engine fire needs a new spark to catch it
And the wood’s easy findin’ but you’re lazy to fetch it
And your sidewalk starts curlin’ and the street gets too long
And you start walkin’ backwards though you know that it’s wrong
And lonesome comes up as down goes the day
And tomorrow’s mornin’ seems so far away
And you feel the reins from your pony are slippin’
And your rope is a-slidin’ ’cause your hands are a-drippin’
And your sun-decked desert and evergreen valleys
Turn to broken down slums and trash-can alleys
And your sky cries water and your drain pipe’s a-pourin’
And the lightnin’s a-flashin’ and the thunder’s a-crashin’
The windows are rattlin’ and breakin’ and the roof tops are shakin’
And your whole world’s a-slammin’ and bangin’
And your minutes of sun turn to hours of storm
An’ to yourself you sometimes say
“I never knew it was gonna be this way
Why didn’t they tell me the day I was born?”And you start gettin’ chills and you’re jumpin’ from sweat
And you’re lookin’ for somethin’ you ain’t quite found yet
And you’re knee-deep in dark water with your hands in the air
And the whole world’s watchin’ with a window peek stare
And your good gal leaves and she’s long gone a-flyin’
And your heart feels sick like fish when they’re fryin’
And your jackhammer falls from your hands to your feet
But you need it badly an’ it lays on the street
And your bell’s bangin’ loudly but you can’t hear its beat
And you think your ears mighta been hurt
Your eyes’ve turned filthy from the sight-blindin’ dirt
And you figured you failed in yesterday’s rush
When you were faked out an’ fooled while facin’ a four flush
And all the time you were holdin’ three queens
It’s makin you mad, it’s makin’ you mean
Like in the middle of Life magazine
Bouncin’ around a pinball machine
And there’s something on your mind that you wanna be sayin’
That somebody someplace oughta be hearin’
But it’s trapped on your tongue, sealed in your head
And it bothers you badly when your layin’ in bed
And no matter how you try you just can’t say it
And you’re scared to your soul you just might forget it
And your eyes get swimmy from the tears in your head
An’ your pillows of feathers turn to blankets of lead
And the lion’s mouth opens and you’re starin’ at his teeth
And his jaws start closin’ with you underneath
And you’re flat on your belly with your hands tied behind
And you wish you’d never taken that last detour sign
You say to yourself just what am I doin’
On this road I’m walkin’, on this trail I’m turnin’
On this curve I’m hangin’
On this pathway I’m strollin’, this space I’m taking
And this air I’m inhaling?
Am I mixed up too much, am I mixed up too hard
Why am I walking, where am I running
What am I saying, what am I knowing
On this guitar I’m playing, on this banjo I’m frailing
On this mandolin I’m strumming, in the song I’m singing,
In the tune I’m humming, in the words that I’m thinking
In the words I’m writing
In this ocean of hours I’m all the time drinking
Who am I helping, what am I breaking
What am I giving, what am I taking?
But you try with your whole soul best
Never to think these thoughts and never to let
Them kind of thoughts gain ground
Or make your heart pound
But then again you know when they’re around
Just waiting for a chance to slip and drop down
‘Cause sometimes you hear ‘em when the night time come creeping
And you fear they might catch you sleeping
And you jump from your bed, from the last chapter of dreamin’
And you can’t remember for the best of your thinkin’
If that was you in the dream that was screaming
And you know that’s somethin’ special you’re needin’
And you know there’s no drug that’ll do for the healing
And no liquor in the land to stop your brain from bleedingYou need somethin’ special
You need somethin’ special, all right
You need a fast flyin’ train on a tornado track
To shoot you someplace and shoot you back
You need a cyclone wind on a stream engine howler
That’s been banging and booming and blowing forever
That knows your troubles a hundred times over
You need a Greyhound bus that don’t bar no race
That won’t laugh at your looks
Your voice or your face
And by any number of bets in the book
Will be rolling long after the bubblegum craze
You need something to open up a new door
To show you something you seen before
But overlooked a hundred times or more
You need something to open your eyes
You need something to make it known
That it’s you and no one else that owns
That spot that you’re standing, that space that you’re sitting
That the world ain’t got you beat
That it ain’t got you licked
It can’t get you crazy no matter how many times you might get kicked
You need something special, all right
You need something special to give you hope
But hope’s just a word
That maybe you said, maybe you heard
On some windy corner ’round a wide-angled curveBut that’s what you need man, and you need it bad
And your trouble is you know it too good
‘Cause you look an’ you start gettin’ the chills
‘Cause you can’t find it on a dollar bill
And it ain’t on Macy’s window sill
And it ain’t on no rich kid’s road map
And it ain’t in no fat kid’s fraternity house
And it ain’t made in no Hollywood wheat germ
And it ain’t on that dim-lit stage
With that half-wit comedian on it
Rantin’ and ravin’ and takin’ your money
And you thinks it’s funny
No, you can’t find it neither in no night club, no yacht club
And it ain’t in the seats of a supper club
And sure as hell you’re bound to tell
No matter how hard you rub
You just ain’t a-gonna find it on your ticket stub
No, it ain’t in the rumors people’re tellin’ you
And it ain’t in the pimple-lotion people are sellin’ you
And it ain’t in a cardboard-box house
Or down any movie star’s blouse
And you can’t find it on the golf course
And Uncle Remus can’t tell you and neither can Santa Claus
And it ain’t in the cream puff hairdo or cotton candy clothes
Ain’t in the dime store dummies an’ bubblegum goons
And it ain’t in the marshmallow noises of the chocolate cake voices
That come knocking and tapping in Christmas wrapping
Sayin’ ain’t I pretty and ain’t I cute, look at my skin,
Look at my skin shine, look at my skin glow,
Look at my skin laugh, look at my skin cry,
When you can’t even sense if they got any insides
These people so pretty in their ribbons and bows
No, you’ll not now or no other day
Find it on the doorsteps made of paper maché
And inside of the people made of molasses
That every other day buy a new pair of sunglasses
And it ain’t in the fifty-star generals and flipped-out phonies
Who’d turn you in for a tenth of a penny
Who breathe and burp and bend and crack
And before you can count from one to ten
Do it all over again but this time behind your back, my friend,
The ones that wheel and deal and whirl and twirl
And play games with each other in their sand-box world
And you can’t find it either in the no-talent fools
That run around gallant
And make all the rules for the ones that got talent
And it ain’t in the ones that ain’t got any talent but think they do
And think they’re fooling you
The ones that jump on the wagon
Just for a while ’cause they know it’s in style
To get their kicks, get out of it quick
And make all kinds of rnoney and chicks
And you yell to yourself and you throw down your hat
Saying, “Christ, do I gotta be like that?
Ain’t there no one here that knows where I’m at
Ain’t there no one here that knows how I feel
Good God Almighty, that stuff ain’t real”:No, but that ain’t your game, it ain’t your race
You can’t hear your name, you can’t see your face
You gotta look some other place
And where do you look for this hope that you’re seekin’
Where do you look for this lamp that’s a-burnin’
Where do you look for this oil well gushin’
Where do you look for this candle that’s glowin’
Where do you look for this hope that you know is there
And out there somewhere
And your feet can only walk down two kinds of roads
Your eyes can only look through two kinds of windows
Your nose can only smell two kinds of hallways
You can touch and twist
And turn two kinds of doorknobs
You can either go to the church of your choice
Or you go to Brooklyn State HospitalYou find God in the church of your choice
You find Woody Guthrie in Brooklyn State Hospital
And though it’s only my opinion
I may be right or wrong
You’ll find them both
In Grand Canyon
Sundown
Technology Tips for March 1
How Much Influence Does Your Twitter Account Have: Klout allows you to track the impact of your opinions, links and recommendations across your social graph. They collect data about the content you create, how people interact with that content and the size and composition of your network. From there, they analyze the data to find indicators of influence and then provide you with innovative tools to interact and interpret data. http://klout.com
Communicating With Groups: On Wiggio, you can share and edit files, manage a group calendar, poll your group, post links, set up conference calls, chat online and send mass text, voice and email messages to your group members. Each group member can define how they want to keep informed of group activity. http://wiggio.com
More Usable Photo Editing Site: Photosynth creates a new experience with groups of photos. Creating a synth allows you to share the photos you value using the cinematic quality of a movie, the control fo a video game, and the detail of the real world. http://photosynth.net/default.aspx
Convert Email to Text Message: AwayFind is a web application that finds your most important emails. When you receive an urgent message, AwayFind will notify you with a cell phone call, SMS, IM, DM,(Twitter), or delegate the message to someone you specify. http://www.awayfind.com
Jot Down Notes: Your computer is a great place to jot down quick notes. You can copy a URL you want to remember. Windows comes with a handy program for taking notes. It’s Notepad. CloudPad is a good note-taking alternative. Write them up, give them a title and set their priority. You can also tag them with descriptive words and phrases. You can view them by priority level. You can search for both note titles and content. And you can easily locate common note tags through a tag cloud. http://sourceforge.net/projects/cloudpad/
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-561-4463 Direct
Technology tips courtesy of Rick DeLuca at www.RealEstateIdeaClub.com
Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can
“Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” – John Wesley
You may not be getting a $15,000 raise this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have that much coming your way. By implementing the fun and simple money-saving tips included in this piece, you could save thousands of dollars this year.
For example, 30 percent of consumers eligible for a product rebate never apply, and another
21 percent of consumers who apply never receive their rebates due to a technicality or a failure to follow up. These add up to a huge sum of money on which millions of people are missing out.
In this month’s Item of Value, I’ve examined the many ways that you can save your hard-earned money, from sticking to a budget to negotiating better deals. You will even find a list of areas in which you can save big bucks—up to $15,000 a year!
Look closer and you’ll discover you’re missing out on some great opportunities to save money.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell
The Market and the Media
“A market is the combined behavior of thousands of people responding to information, misinformation and whim.” – Kenneth Chang
Do you find yourself frustrated by what’s reported in the mainstream media? If so, you are not alone. Recent studies have found that many Americans are skeptical of news organizations.
Because many of us depend on the mainstream media to deliver our news and real estate market updates, we are often at their mercy. How can we be sure that the media is telling us the whole story?
I’ve devoted this month’s Item of Value to examining the role that media plays in our understanding of conditions in the current housing market. You will also find advice for putting the mainstream media’s reporting into context. Media reports can be filled with stories that focus only on the negative by using misleading headlines or burying the positive news.
It’s easy for the media to distort today’s news for its own gain, and I want to show you how you can avoid this!
One more thing in this months Item of Value is a connection to BFF Travel. This is a company that is here to help with travel needs. I know a lot of you will just ‘go on the Internet’ to book travel but there are some real benefits to working with someone who is knowledgeable and can direct you to great deals and maybe a destination you never thought of. Check them out at www.bfftravel.com. You can count on them to take great care of you. Speaking of destinations you never thought of reminds me of the difference between an old biker and a young biker. The young biker picks a destination. The old biker picks a direction. 
Call me if I can help you or your friends navigate this new real estate market. Things have changed and I am a student of the changes. Thanks for your referrals and keep ‘em coming. We are here to help.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell
We have secrets and we’ll sell them for money
I got an email offering to sell me secrets. The top secrets of Real Estate Agents in the country. Should I buy them??
I don’t think so. See, I know they are not selling secrets, they are selling hope. Hope you never really have to work again. You just have to do what is in the secrets and you’ll make lots of money and get to sit on the beach. It is not rational but it is human to want that.
You may not be a real estate agent but you know what I am talking about. Have you ever gotten a ‘check’ in the mail and once you open it you find out it is not a check. It was a trick.
Now I wonder, do they really expect to start a business relationship with us on a trick? I won’t. I want to be treated fairly and told the truth, not tricked into opening an envelope just to find out I am stupid enough to fall for a trick.
I am just on my soapbox a bit. I get tried of all the junk in my mailbox and lies on bill boards and radio ad or tv ads and I just felt the need to vent. I refuse to play the game anymore.
Want me to watch your commercial? Give me something of value for my time. Make me laugh or teach me something or show me a cool website that I can check out for myself but don’t yell at me or trick me into giving you my time. It won’t work anymore.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
Home buyer tax credit was extended!!
I am really surprised at the number of people that don’t know this happened. You can still qualify for a tax credit up to $8000 if you buy your first home by April 30, 2010.
You can also qualify for up to $6500 if it is not your first home but you have been in your current home for 5 years. Check out the flyer by Clicking Here for more details or call me at 678-231-1578 to get started.
I am never too busy for your referrals and I learned yesterday that on average everyone knows at least 10 people who are moving this year. Who do you know that is thinking about buying their first home or moving into a home that better fits their lives (more kids, empty nests, etc.). Call me with the name that just came into your head and I’ll take great care of them!!!
Thanks for all the referrals and encouragement you have sent me this last year. It means the world to me.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell
Technology Tips for 1 February 2010
Everything Needs An App Store These Days: There’s a different one for every smartphone. You can also get apps for your iPod. Now, there’s an app store for your netbook. Netbooks are a special kind of computer. They’re small, portable and don’t have a lot of power. They can’t run every program as well as a regular computer. Scouring the Web for netbook-friendly programs can be hit or miss. The solution may be Intel’s AppUp. This app store is full of netbook-friendly programs. You’ll find games, utilities and social-networking programs. Some of the programs are free. And you can buy others right from the store. http://www.intel.com/#/en_US_01
Photos For Your Website: Do you need photos for your Web site or another creative project? You needn’t settle for sub-par images. Check out microstock photography. You can buy photos from microstock sites online. Generally, you won’t pay much for the rights to use these photos. morgueFile offers plenty of free photos for your creative projects. There are also plenty of tips to help you improve your microstock skills. http://www.morguefile.com/
Government Auctions: The Department of the Treasury has a site that lists government auctions. It covers both in-person and online auctions. Don’t just look at the seized or forfeited items. There are also surplus goods. This site does not put all the auctions in one place. Rather, it helps you find auctions across government agencies. You’ll have to do some clicking! http://www.ustreas.gov/auctions/
McDonald’s Has Wi-Fi: The list of free Wi-Fi connections just grew by 11,500. McDonald’s has made Wi-Fi free at most of its 14,000 U.S. locations. You don’t need to make a purchase to use the Wi-Fi. Just walk in, fire up your laptop and log on. To find a McDonald’s location offering free Wi-Fi in your area, visit its site. http://www.mcdonalds.com/wireless.html
Managing Your To-Do List: TeuxDeux is one of the best task managers . It doesn’t have a lot of fancy features. Simplicity is its strong suit. When you sign in, you’ll see five columns, each labeled with a day of the week. You’ll also see a section labeled ”Someday.” There is an entry box for each column and the Someday section. To get started, enter a task in one of the boxes and hit Enter. The task will be added to your to-do list. As you complete tasks, click on them. A strikethrough will mark them complete. Or, click the X next to a task to delete it from your list. You may also want to move a task to a different day. In that case, just click and drag it to another column. http://teuxdeux.com/
Please remember, don’t keep me a secret because I am never too busy for your referrals.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell
Technology Tips courtesy of Rick DeLuca and his Real Estate Ideas Club.
Great Opportunities Disguised as Impossible Situations
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”
– Charles R. Swindoll
A lot of negative coverage has been devoted to today’s housing market. However, there are many reasons why the current real estate market may be beneficial to you.
For example, the large selection of homes and low sales prices make it a great buyer’s market.
In addition, interest rates on home loans are historically low, making now a great time to lock in a long-term mortgage rate.
Ultimately, though, these favorable conditions will go away. As inflation rises, so do interest rates. I have included this Item of Value so you can take advantage of current market conditions.
If you are looking to become a homeowner, you need to strike while the iron is hot! You know me. I am not one to be pushy and I know this sounds pushy but the current market situation cannot last. The Feds have said they will STOP buying mortgage backed securities soon which WILL allow mortgage rates to increase. Inventory IS falling and while there are some new foreclosures coming out they are getting fewer and the condition is such that many of them cannot get FHA financing so they sit. Very little new inventory is being build and some areas are seeing a shortage of good houses to buy.
If you are looking to sell that can be good news for you if you are in some of those shortage areas. Housing prices have fallen but they are on the way back up. I can show you data that says the bottom was about 6 months ago and we are coming up. With all the incentives the government is handing out and the changing market, this is also the best time to sell. After April I believe activity will drop when the 1st time buyer and repeat buyer tax credit expire. The Fannie Mae deal in the previous post will also end about that time and while we will hopefully see a healthier market by then I think a lot of the real deals will be done and it will be a balanced market with higher interest rates.
Please don’t miss this opportunity. It is perhaps the best we have seen EVER and it won’t last. Call me if you have any questions or if you know someone I can help with THEIR great opportunity. I am never too busy for your referrals!!
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell
Fannie Mae Announces 3.5 Percent Seller Assistance on HomePath® Properties
Incentive Part of Ongoing Effort to Stabilize Neighborhoods
WASHINGTON, DC — Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE) announced today that people purchasing a Fannie Mae-owned HomePath® property will receive up to 3.5 percent of the final sales price to be used toward closing cost assistance or their choice of appliances. The offer is available to any owner-occupant who closes on the purchase of a property listed on HomePath.com before May 1, 2010.
“Attracting qualified buyers to the market and reducing the inventory of vacant homes is critical to stabilizing neighborhoods and helping the market recover. Many families are taking advantage of the federal homebuyer tax credit to buy a new home so this is a great time for Fannie Mae to offer some additional help,” said Terry Edwards, Executive Vice President of Credit Portfolio Management. “Homebuyers have the option to choose between financial assistance toward closing costs or new appliances for their home.”
Properties eligible for this incentive are listed on HomePath.com and most listings include detailed property descriptions, photographs, community and school information and more. In addition, many Fannie Mae-owned properties are eligible for special HomePath Mortgage and HomePath Renovation Mortgage financing which offers homebuyers an opportunity to purchase with as little as 3 percent down.
If you are interested in more info please call me at 678-343-6879 and I can help you get started finding that perfect house.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
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