Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Happy Pi Day, Synchronicity, Hurdy Gurdy Man

As I was a math major in college, Pi Day is one of my favorite days.

Granted, the real Pi Day occured in the year 1593, since pi rounded to the millionth place is 3.141593.

The realist painter Georges de la Tour was born on March 14, 1593.

This has brought me to a new experience of synchronicity. Last night, I misheard a commercial on television. I thought the song they were playing was "Hurdy-Gurdy Man". It turns out that it was not; they were playing another song. Just now, I was reading a page on Georges de la Tour, and one painting they show on the page is called, "The Hurdy-Gurdy Player."

Here are the lyrics to the song that has been playing in my head for weeks, although I do not remember where I heard it:

ARTIST: Donovan
TITLE: Hurdy Gurdy Man

Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
I opened my eyes to take a peep
To find that I was by the sea
Gazing with tranquility

'Twas then when the hurdy gurdy man
Came singing songs of love
Then when the hurdy gurdy man
Came singing songs of love

Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang

Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity

'Tis then when the hurdy gurdy man
Comes singing songs of love
Then when the hurdy gurdy man
Comes singing songs of love

Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Hurdy gur-dy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gur-dy, hurdy gurdy hurdy gurd
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang

Here comes the roly-poly man
He's singing songs of love

Roly poly, roly poly, roly poly poly he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Roly poly, roly poly, roly poly poly he sang

(And one verse by George Harrison):

When the truth gets buried deep
Beneath a thousand years asleep
Time demands a turnaround
And once again, the truth is found
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's all connected, once we understand this, everything makes so much more sense.

Sophia said...

I wonder when I'm going to get over the thrill of synchronicity? My coworker/friend told me yesterday that he experienced deja vu. I get that sometimes, too.

Shay said...

One of the first songs I learned to play and sing was Hurdy Gurdy man by Donovan. I learned the song immediately after seeing Donovan live in 67. Most people do not realize that Donovan's backup musicians for this song included his friends, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, later Led Zeppelin.

Also our language has long disdained synchronicity in favour of coincidence. Syncronisty is the thread that sews it all together, coincidence is a faithless dismissal. It's all in the synchronicity.

Sophia said...

I don't have Hurdy Gurdy Man on CD or mp3, and I need to download it from iTunes or buy the CD. It's the only way I'm going to get it out of my head. My husband is tired of hearing me sing it. What do you play, guitar? Led Zeppelin was R.'s favorite band. When I hear them, I remember him, and he was a dear friend.

I feel so glad and happy when someone comes to my blog and gives me the feeling that they know what I'm talking about, especially with synchronicity, which you're right, everyone wants to dismiss as coincidence. I can't listen to the skeptics when so many "coincidences" happen in so little time.