when the universe goes blue, that means it’s gonna be going
backwards on itself and die. The universe hates having the blues just
like you and me. That’s why it keeps shifting red.
“And we’re always looking for the red. The rosy-colored glasses.
Fruit and meat and love. We worship the sun because he’s our man.
He’s red and shining. He ain’t going backward for nobody. Or so he
thinks. Someday he’ll go blue and die just like everybody else, but
that don’t bother him much. He’s gonna shine and give us life so that
we can shine too. And he’ll make us forget about our blues. Only
problem is, the blues is always with us. We carry that ocean inside us
all the time. And the more we try to sail away from it, the more it
follows us.
“But singing the blues isn’t about running away from your
problems. It’s the opposite. It’s about digging deep and celebrating.
Celebrating dreams that didn’t come true, stormy seas, dying days.
When you sing the blues, you sing a lullaby to the universe. You say,
“Hey, relax and take a nap from all this wanting and running and
hiding.” And when you do, you’ll realize that the blues ain’t so bad.
It’s like going swimming. If you’re scared of the water, the water’s
gonna seem cold. But if you just jump right in and dig it, you’ll be
fine. Dig it?”
There was a peaceful silence as the men tried to make sense of
the sermon. The Vizier leaned over to the sun-king and spoke in his
ear.
“Where is it that I should have the men dig, sir?”
“Ha! Nowhere, Clyde,” Hopkins replied. Maybe I should just shut
up and sing a song.” He tried to think of the oldest song he knew.
“Any of you guys know ‘Ezekiel Saw the Wheel?’ No? Okay, then, just
follow me for the changes.”
After the major kinks were ironed out, particularly the abiding
trepidation of the men, the jam turned out to be such an enjoyable
affair that the sun-king canceled the remaining labor for the day and
instead tried to teach the hundred or so Egyptian peasants twelve-
bar blues. Excited, he hoped to get an act together in time for the
unveiling of the new temple.
“Why do you think the king acts so strangely?” the Vizier asked
the king’s chief guard a bit later.
“Perhaps he has been out in the sun too long,” the guard replied.
“He does look a little darker than usual.”
H O L Y S H I T !
226
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