for those who does know this oldies song, here is a copy for you:
Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.
when i was a lot younger, i payed no attention to the song "moon river" and the name huckleberry contained in it. for as a young boy, i was not certain of any word i hear from the song. later though, i realized that "moon river" is a song mark twain would be delighted to hear about. its allusion to "the adventures of huckleberry finn" makes it a song of definite literary value. so allow me to quote some lines from the song as i go on with my interpretation.
truly, jim and huck (huckleberry) are "two drifters off to see the world" and as one of them is an unschooled negro and the other - a child, there is truly "such a lot of world to see" for them. and as they drifted along that Mississippi river, the speaker in this poem (or song) who i suppose is jim, realized that a body of water could be a "dream maker" and "heart breaker" at the same time. but since they are left with no other avenue of escape, the speaker chose to surrender to the current - "wherever you're going, i'm going your way." He believes that they are "after the same rainbow's end... my huckleberry friend, moon river and me." he considers both huck and the river his companion, and that they are together in this journey to freedom. however, for those who wonder why the speaker called it a moon river, it may be because jim marvels at the river's beauty only during the night when no authority can see him because he is, at that time, a wanted criminal for allegedly kidnapping huck.
this poetic song can be interpreted in a hundred more ways. that was mine. hope to read your comments.
suggestion: rita eriksen's rendition of this song is my favorite of all. you can find it on imeem.com.
6 comments:
My nerdy friend introduced this song/poem to me way back in high school. At first I thought it was just a simple short song with 'Huckleberry in it. It was only now that I was enlightened by this interpretation. Thanks! I hope I could pen my own interpretations too soon.
im juh
Having been your English 105 professor, I'm simply astounded by your genius in your attempt to interpret this ubiquitous old song! I should say, I'm truly proud of you, Rob.
Your ability to cite allusions, to make inferences without overreading, and analyze other poetic devices used by the poet (i.e. the songmaker) is proof enough that you are ready to teach literature. I'd be so honored to see you become a literature teacher soon. - Miss H.
From robert:
oh! thank you miss. i feel elated by your comments. i am a music lover and i love interpreting songs so much. i will share more readings when i am not busy anymore.
So it's you, Robert! I realized because of this Moon River post. you should do more of this, Rob. I enjoy reading and re-reading this post. It makes me feel I'm adrift, and that's something I've been craving for this weekend. Thanks, Robert. =)
i wanted a huckleberry friend long before i heard this song... i think it's about companionship, or friendship, and moon river represents their way to their dreams, whatever they are. i found my huck friend and our moon river and i can totally understand what this song means to me now...
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