The first time I heard “These Days” was a version by Jennifer Warnes in 1972. I was seventeen, writing very secret sad poetry. This song is so simple, but blew me away that anyone could load so much sadness and regret into so few lines. A true watershed moment for me. Sometimes less really is so much more.
Later, when I discovered Jackson Browne, I was thrilled to learn that “These Days” was one of his songs. Over the years there’ve been dozens of renditions, but I always come back to his acoustic version on nights like this, when I’m feeling low. It doesn’t make me feel worse; it actually makes me feel so not alone in it. Such is the power of well-chosen words.
Lyrics follow the video…
Well I’ve been out walking
I don’t do that much talking these days
These days–
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
For you
And all the times I had the chance to
And I had a lover
It’s so hard to risk another these days
These days–
Now if I seem to be afraid
To live the life I have made in song
Well, it’s just that I’ve been losing so long
I’ll keep on moving
Things are bound to be improving these days
One of these days–
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten, my friend
Don’t confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them
– Jackson Browne
(FYI, she’s a huge hockey fan, and the Canucks are her home team.)]
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