T-shirt #257 - 10,000 Maniacs - Blind Man's Zoo

T-shirt #257 - 10,000 Maniacs - Blind Man's Zoo - Eat for Two

I have been a huge 10,000 Maniacs fan since the mid-1980s. I heard that the band played Club Soda around 1985, before I discovered this great band.



The story of my discovery is brief, but it's one of my favorite stories of discoveries of a band or musical artist.

WIDR, the WMU student radio station, used to host a featured album show and another show in which a DJ would play a collection of music from one band or artist. I threw a cassette in one day for one of these shows as I was called down for dinner because I liked the music. The show had already started, so I had missed the name of the artist. For several months after, I had this cassette of music that was beautiful and mesmerizing. But I did not know the name of the album and the artists. One song in particular became an instant favorite of mine, though I did not know the name of the song and couldn't make out the all the lyrics. The song is featured in a video below. It is still my favorite 10,000 Maniacs song. When I heard them play it in concert, I cried. (And I waited through several concerts before they did play it, so that moved me even more emotionally as between each song I would have my fingers crossed and be sending the band the mental message: "Lily Dale. Lily Dale. Lily Dale.")

Months after recording that cassette and playing it over and over and falling completely in love with the music, the precise, tight guitar, and the rich and hearty vocals, I borrowed an intriguing looking album from a friend of mine, a local musician, Jeff Krebs, called The Wishing Chair by a band named 10,000 Maniacs. It was the music on my cassette! And there was the song: "Lily Dale," named for a cemetery in New York near the band's home town of Jamestown.

I have several 10,000 Maniacs shirts, so I am going to leave off at this content for now and let several videos speak for the band's brilliance. These are not all of my favorite 10,000 Maniacs songs. I feel that I need to share "Eat For Two" because it's on the shirt as a promo for the 10,000 Maniacs album Blind Man's Zoo. I selected six songs just from You Tube searching. Some are favorites, like "Lilly Dale," and another, like "Headstrong," was chosen simply because it's on Blind Man's Zoo.

More 10,000 Maniacs content to come in future blogs so stay tuned.

But first some images of ticket stubs. These are not all my ticket stubs and one is not mine. It was given to me by my friend "Billy" Walt Curley, He who is!

10,000 Maniacs- Eat for Two/Live/HD

10,000 Maniacs - Can't Ignore The Train

Natalie Merchant - Verdi Cries

Lilydale 10,000 Maniacs

I can't embed these some for some reason. But click the links. They work.

10,000 Maniacs - Grey Victory

10,000 Maniacs - Headstrong

Okay, wait a minute. I can't go without sharing the amazing lyrics to "Lilydale."

"LilyDale" - 10,000 Maniacs from the Wishing Chair

Come as we go far away
From the noise of the street
Walk a path so narrow
To a place where we feel at ease

Some think it is haunting
To be drawn to the
Cemetery ground, as we
There's a stillness here
Thankful found

Child's pose angelic
A stone lamb at her feet
Part the matted overgrowth
To read the craven elegy

Some think it is haunting
To be drawn to the
Cemetery ground, as we
There's a stillness here
Thankful found

Born in New Albion
Of Rice family elite
Wed to Myron Bilowe
Thrice with sons
Blessed was she

Some think it so haunting
To be drawn to the
Cemetery ground, as we
God's acre is a fenced in
Hollow ground

Here soon to rise up
Amelia, tender and sweet
Her last words spoke
All is well, all is peace

Some think it so haunting
To be drawn to the
Cemetery ground, as we
God's acre is a fenced in
Hollow ground

Songwriters
Natalie Merchant;Robert Buck

Published by
CHRISTIAN BURIAL MUSIC

As always, I am back again tomorrow.

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- chris tower - 1312.03 - 7:50