There’s an evenin’ haze settlin’ over the town, starlight by the edge of the creek. The buyin’ power of the proletariat’s gone down,
money’s gettin’ shallow and weak. The place I love best is a sweet memory, it’s a new path that we trod. – Dylan often numbers his songs, like this one, the Workingman’s Blues #2. Over the 17 years I have been travelling on this train to the West, I prepared classes, read, made friends, listened to music. When Modern Times was released in 2006, the Workingman’s Blues was my favourite. I listened to it when I was cycling to the train station through wind and rain in the dark hours of the morning, and I listened to it again on my way back home – often having lost the feel for the day, they were so long and so packed that, in a strange way, the day at times felt like one. You are dearer to me than myself as you yourself can see. Today, I wasn’t on the train. I was driving back to Dublin. I had picked up my ‘Limerick bicycle’ from Colbert Station, had put it into the boot. This 20-year-old bike had been waiting for me at the station for so many years, now it is no longer needed. I’m listenin’ to the steel rails hum, got both eyes tight shut. Now I was driving. When the radio played Workingman’s Blues #2, it felt like skyfall. This was not the end, but it was the end of my cycle, train, cycle routine after almost two decades. Now, I’m sailin’ on back, ready for the long haul, tossed by the winds and the seas.

Today, Maria was with Pádraig. He had the speech valve on twice and was dealing with it really well. So good to see him getting more and more used to the speech valve and to at least half-way normal breathing.

Meet me at the bottom, don’t lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the front line
Sing a little bit of these workingman’s blues

We won’t hang back but fight our best. For Pádraig.

Today’s German Music Tip
Manic Street Preachers, Europa Geht Durch Mich (featuring Nina Goss) – english/german song with a really great video
What’s hot
Fight your best
What’s cold
the blues
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Wo soll das Alles enden?