Sunday Scibblings

Letting the Days Go By

Surrounding me: hi-tech, suburbs, farms, forest corridors, families of many nations and blends, snow capped mountains and lush valleys, just and hour away from the ocean.

Who could ask for more? So, how did I get here? (Yes, I know this is a David Byrne lyric of the Talking Heads – “Letting the Days Go By.”) So, before any more water goes underground…

Here’s the facts…

I am the son (6 generations later) of an 18^th century French immigrant. I can’t go back much further than 1710 AD- because the written records from the church of Boisvert in Alsatian France, don’t go back further than that.

In 1759, Colice Boisvert, of the region of Boisvert (meaning Glen or Green Woods), packed for an adventure across the Atlantic for French Canada. Upon arrival, the vast green forests lured him deep into Mohican lands. The unfamiliar forests of this lone traveler (from a family of carpenters and jacks) brought a sense of familiarity. Moving northward and pressing west into Algonquin lands he encountered a skirmish from white settlers upsetting the balance of trade between the French loyalists and natives. He was unwittingly captured by the Algonquin and made a slave. His name was a mouthful for natives- so, his new name became- Colixte (co – LEESH – tea).

As an Indian slave (with rights - much different than we think of “slave”), he married an Algonquin girl and was allowed to emigrate. His travels, with his new family lead him to the east coast and then later, by 1773, to the interior of the united states- or territories that we would refer to today as Kansas. With his intimate experience with the dark skinned peoples, he was able to establish a minor homestead in what is now Greenwood County, Kansas.

Gaps in the record at this point are profound and leave much to the imagination. So, skipping forward to 1833, we find ourselves with two adult brothers- sons of Colice. Hmmm..

This is getting a bit too laborious – or rather – boring…

How about the Lyrics…

LETTING THE DAYS GO BY

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground.

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? ...am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
My god!...what have I done?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground.

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...