1. “THE WIND CRIES MARY” JIMI HENDRIX AMERICAN (1942-1970)

2. This song was played at Stan's funeral. I memorized the only line I could pick out, "the traffic lights they turn blue tomorrow," and that is how I googled the song. That line was quite significant and fitting at the funeral. It signals a tragic turning point in the persona's life. The traffic lights are going to be blue from now on, no longer the logical, rational colors of red, green, or yellow. This shows that the persona's world has gone horribly and irreparably awry: things will never be right again. I had heard this famous blues song many times but had never looked into the words; I had to investigate this poem. Why I chose this…

3. After all the jacks are in their boxes, and the clowns have all gone to bed, you can hear happiness staggering on down the street, footprints dress in red. And the wind whispers Mary A broom is drearily sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday's life. Somewhere a Queen is weeping, somewhere a King has no wife. And the wind it cries Mary The song and the lyrics… The traffic lights they turn blue tomorrow And shine their emptiness down on my bed, The tiny island sags downstream 'Cos the life that they lived is dead. And the wind screams Mary Will the wind ever remember The names it has blown in the past, And with this crutch, its old age and its wisdom It whispers, "No, this will be the last." And the wind cries Mary http://www.azlyrics.com/ PLAY THIS https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=jFmlPHHE7Lo

4. After all the jacks are in their boxes, and the clowns have all gone to bed, you can hear happiness staggering on down the street, footprints dress in red. And the wind whispers Mary A broom is drearily sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday's life. Somewhere a Queen is weeping, somewhere a King has no wife. And the wind it cries Mary Analysis… The traffic lights they turn blue tomorrow And shine their emptiness down on my bed, The tiny island sags downstream 'Cos the life that they lived is dead. And the wind screams Mary Will the wind ever remember The names it has blown in the past, And with this crutch, its old age and its wisdom It whispers, "No, this will be the last." And the wind cries Mary World is no longer “right.” Refrain progression of whispers to cries to screams to cries: echoes the psychological realization of something going (whispers) to something gone (cries) to the shock of something lost (scream) and then to the final sadness (cries) that it is gone forever. Refrain progression of whispers to cries to screams to cries: echoes the psychological realization of something going (whispers) to something gone (cries) to the shock of something lost (scream) and then to the final sadness (cries) that it is gone forever. The loss is REALLY final/ lost to oblivion Husband and wife separated Nice imagery, Personification Fun and games are over. Something shattered/broke/bled. What brought happiness is gone/killed. Persona is trying to deal with the loss, but is detached. ??? The loss is final ??? Amb. Ref. pronoun: the wind? Now, I did find an alternative definition for “crutch.” But I won’t go there…. Either makes sense. Gives the impression of forever, no hope of another Other lost ones?

5. Can “Mary” be “marijuana.” I don’t think so. Clearly, this is a broken relationship because of the reference to the separation of a “King” from a “Queen.” However, Urban Dictionary does show “Queen Anne’s Lace” as slang for “marijuana,” so maybe that can be an alternate but disappointing and shallow reading. Is “Mary” a Biblical allusion? Let’s try it out: “Wind” is translated from “Ruach Hakodesh,” or “Holy Spirit,” but it doesn’t neatly fit here. Why would the Holy Spirit call Mary? “King” could not be “Mashiach,” or “Messiah,” here because there is a “Queen” who is separated from Him. Mary was the Messiah’s mother, not His wife or queen. Also, “The Church” is referred to as “Bride” in the Bible, so “Queen” could not be referring to that either. I see no reason to look further for biblical allusion here. That is just forcing something that, because of the reasons written above, doesn’t logically play out. After further reading, I found out that Hendrix had a break up with a girlfriend named Mary. He wrote this poem that night. According to http://www.songfacts.com/, Kathy Mary recalled, "We'd had a row over food. Jimi didn't like lumpy mashed potatos. There were thrown plates and I ran off. When I came back the next day, he'd written that song about me. It's incredibly flattering" (Source Q magazine February 2013).http://www.songfacts.com/ What it may or may not be about…

6. Conclusion… Even though it has a less than totally tragic origin, “The Wind Cries Mary” is a poetic song about the raw anguish, the unforgiving permanence, the ongoing continuity of loss: a poignant reflection of the anguish and loss suffered by so many at a sweet soul’s untimely death.

7. Requirements, Post-Modern/Cont. Poetry Project — Formative 60/60 or 50/60 or 30/60 or 0/60 Find a poem or a song (50s+) that has literary merit/deep meaning. It needs to be something outside your comfort zone right now, NOT generally something you already know. Ask a parent about his or her favorite song or poem…. If you get into your poem, and it is a dud, you will need to choose another, just let me know ahead of time. Best to know you are good before you sign up. Ideas: Bob Dylan, Woodie Guthrie, Grateful Dead, 70s stuff, (American, but if not & ingrained in American culture, ok w/ my approval) Textbook, website, Google Writer’s Almanac, Poetry book you may even find in your own house somewhere…. Sign up by name, date, AND poem starting on the date _____________ on the sheet for your class period on my door. No duplicates! Presentation must be saved to your number or on a drive so you can pull it up on my computer. Can use PowerPoint, Prezi, whatever, even a poster, but must include (failure to include any of this will result in the 30/60 grade): Title in quotes, author, and intro explaining why you chose it The song or poem itself (careful of offensive stuff, just don’t go there) Your analysis of it: title, summary, figurative language, what you like about it, what you don’t understand, etc. (PRINT ONLY THIS PAGE for me) Other interpretations and your critical opinion if these interpretations are good or bad (MUST HAVE THIS) Summary/Conclusion of some sort. If it is one sentence like mine, make it pithy, parallel, and use proper punctuation All citations (website only ok, not MLA) must be embedded in the presentation, but no official Works Cited necessary 6 minutes long, no longer. If you play a song, you may play part of it if it is long. I will stop you, so get all requirements in the 6 min. I WILL NOT EVER ACCEPT YOUR PRESENTATION IF IT IS EMAILED TO ME. NEVER…NEVER…NEVER. Too many grammar/punctuation/logic errors can result in a 50/60 grade. Excessive errors result in 30/60 or even 0/60. If you do not take this assignment seriously, you will receive a 30/60 or even a 0/60.