Spring Forward

March is the transitional month. That's not to say that it's a complete and flawless transition, but April is clearly more of a spring month, and February is definitely more of a winter month. March is somewhere in between.


I remember learning when I was real young that March "comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb". Which makes some sort of sense. The cold, blistery, winter weather is aggressive like a lion, whereas the mild spring weather is gentle like a lamb. I, however, always thought that they got it backwards. First of all, the lion's bright golden mane reminds me of the sun, whereas the lamb's soft white fleece seems a perfect symbol for the snow. And furthermore, winter is the quiet season, whereas the summer (which follows spring) roars with heat and activity.


I noticed that Daylight Saving Time is coming up - real soon - and that reminded me of a lyric/poem I wrote a while ago. You can find it on my website (if you know where to look), but I'll repeat it for you here. It's a blues, sort of a parody of B.B. King's Three O'Clock Blues (although I borrowed the rhythm for the bridge from another song - I think it was You Upset Me Baby), which is one of my favorites of his. Perhaps if I learned how to play that song, I could just switch in my lyrics, and I'd have a song to play every time Daylight Saving comes around!

This lyric was actually written for fall, and not spring, but maybe it'll help you to appreciate that winter is finally ending.

Daylight Saving Blues

it's four o'clock in the evenin', baby
and I can't even see my way
four o'clock in the evenin'
an' I can't even see my way
sunset's gettin' earlier,
earlier every day

shadows are risin' higher
and the days are gettin' cold
yeah, shadows rise up higher
and the days are gettin' cold
one more year is passing
and I fear I'm gettin' old

I can't go out after dinner
I can't play with the boys next door
I knew a girl named Sandy
but she don't live 'round here no more

it's four o'clock in the evenin', baby
and I can't even see my way
four o'clock in the evenin'
an' I can't even see my way
sunset's gettin' earlier,
earlier every day

fall back, fall back, fall back
fall back is what they say
yeah, fall back, fall back, fall back
fall back, is what they say
you might just spring forward,
on some bright and sunny day

I like falling back more than springing forward, because I'm much fonder of the idea of gaining an hour than I am of losing one. But, there are other benefits to springing forward that make up for that. For example, the promise of summer, in place of the dread of winter. And also, setting your clocks ahead one hour is a lot easier than setting them back, which requires you to cycle through nearly a whole day just to go backwards...

Never fall back!