A song rang out loud and clear, cutting and piercing my soul
“It’s better to burn out than to fade away”
Words of rock legend, voiced from a culture of extreme
Why would anyone want to grow old, weak, ugly?
No glory in being human, the people might stop looking.
Kurt heard the words, he took them to heart
Kurt’s gone now, wonder if he still thinks they are so great
I used to think that I would always shine
My light would only grow stronger as the world revolved around my brilliance
Indestructable, all knowing, self sufficient, and always on top
Lies, lies, and ignorance too an impressive degree
What glory is there in the self made flames of fame or popularity?
What value can being known ever add to your soul?
Will my 15 minutes be what people remember and how I am judged?
I don’t want to burn out, spend all I have in an instant.
That seems to be the easy way out.
Glory comes from the sustained excellence of vows kept and duties understood
A lifetime of family, serving those in need, seeking God
That is when the flame begins to burn
I want my flame to smolder and glow
Burning red like the coals of a well tended stove
Joy is the thought of igniting other coals, other flames to give off the heat
An exchange that takes time, consistency and faithfulness
Not a quick flame up of passion and excess, those only spark change for an instant
Neil got a lot of things right
Hope he is still searching for that heart of gold
The only gold worth using is the gold that’s been through the fire
The fire of rich, dark, glowing, sustained and maintained coals
You never find that heart of gold in the flames of a burnout
January 15, 2007 at 9:26 pm
I always thought it meant better to always pursue than to be content? You burnout in the race and rust in retirement. I did like your thoughts.
January 15, 2007 at 10:50 pm
That is an interpretation I like as well. I always thought Neil, in his own idiosyncratic way had a meaning that wasn’t as apparent to us, normal people. Unfortunatley, perhaps, many have taken it to mean that life isn’t worth living if you aren’t the star anymore.