immediately before the "I see the Ghost of Culture" line.It’s gonna be September now
For many years to come
Every heart adjusting
To that strict September drum
I never was a big fan of most art that tries to deal with 9/11 (Springsteen's "The Rising" album or Neil Youngs horrible "Let's Roll" come to mind as well as J.S. Foer's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"), but I always thought that "A Street" and especially those lines were amazing. "It's gonna be September now / For many years to come" -- how very specific and yet how very metaphorical and universal. And it's pure poetry on so many levels (taken literally, it's an oxymoron; for starters; yet 9/11 gives it a very dark meaning). I like the "strict September drum" with its images of war and of (every heart) marching as one; with all the negative connotations that entails.
So imagine my surprise when I found out that on "Popular Problems" the lyrics had changed to
which is a little bit pedestrian and mundane, in comparison.Baby don’t ignore me
We were smokers we were friends
Forget that tired story
Of betrayal and revenge
So why do you think did he change it? Because it was too on-the-nose before? Before 13 years after 9/11 we don't need another song dealing with it so directly? Because the song is more universally about loss now? Is it the Patrick Leonard influence talked about in the Rolling Stone interview?
We won't ever know, but I'm curious what you think.
Matt