Dylan on a Sunday (Featuring Jackson Browne)

I put Bob on genius this morning, starting with "Spirit on the Water." Genius (the itunes playlist generating tool) works fairly well with Dylan. It's hard to argue with a list that has Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Leon Russell, Wilco, Tom Petty, Bonni Raitt, and Ben Harper. The name that appeared the most on this genius list, however, was Jackson Browne.

Seeing Jackson Browne's name made me smile. A while back I posted about this guy who came to a Dylan presentation I made. He found such promise in me that he began sending me all of this Dylan stuff--books, dvd's, cd's. It was a nice little haul. One of the things he sent me was Jackson Browne's first cd, Late for the Sky. Seems many in the Dylan crowd were convinced that when Bob kind of disappeared for a bit that his successor might be Browne. Late for the Sky is a great cd, but as my friend pointed out, Browne ultimately proved to be a disappointment.

This is true of nearly anyone who had to make a living in music during the 80's. I've been listening to some old Rod Stewart lately. Great stuff. Maggie May, Stay With Me, etc. But the 80's ruined him. Maybe something like this happened to Jackson Browne.

But the thing that's always been true about Browne is that he is a great lyricist. And my favorite Browne song has great lyrics, Doctor My Eyes. So, today's song via Dylan through genius, asks "is this the prize for having learned how not to cry?"

Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand

I have done all that I could
To see the evil and the good without hiding
You must help me if you can

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise to leave them open for so long

cause I have wandered through this world
And as each moment has unfurled
Ive been waiting to awaken from these dreams
People go just where there will
I never noticed them until I got this feeling
That its later than it seems

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what you see
I hear their cries
Just say if its too late for me

Doctor, my eyes
Cannot see the sky
Is this the prize for having learned how not to cry