I Tried To Die Young

Melanie Safka, professionally know as just Melanie, was one of only four women who headlined Woodstock back in nineteen sixty-nine (FYI-The other three were Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, and Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane.) Melanie wrote a hit song about her experience at Woodstock titled Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) but is best known for two other quirky little songs, Brand New Key and Look What They've Done To My Song.

For most people, if they have heard of her at all, Melanie is just a footnote to music history. A missing flower child from the Hippie Sixties. A "What ever happened to.." unanswered question. So what has she being doing since Woodstock and its aftermath? She's been out there living life, writing songs, and performing. Cowtown Pattie posted one of Melaine's recent performances on her blog Texas Trifles a few weeks ago and wrote that the song Melanie was singing, I Tried To Die Young, now was her new mantra. After listening to the song I understood why.

If any song catches that slightly out of control, fearless, fearful, I don't want to grow old, angst of youth better than than this one, I can't think of it. At the same time it shows that growing older allows you to look back at your life and accept, even laugh at, the person you used to be. The wisdom you've gained with growing older also allows you to see that that person you used to be is still inside you. The only difference between the you of then and the you of now is life experience and better impulse control.

Anyway, that is the way I interpret it.

I tried to die young
Boy, did I try
But the voice deep inside would not let me succumb
And I laugh at the things that I’ve done
When I tried to die young

I took a plane through the dawn
Threw myself on the tracks
But the train didn’t come and I had to walk back
I jumped into the whirlpool, I thought I get sucked in
I just kept spinning around ‘til I learned how to swim

And I tried to die young
Boy, did I try
But the voice deep inside would not let me succumb
And I laugh at the things that I’ve done
When I tried to die young

And my heart kept on breaking
And the crack sought the edge
Where the hands of a shadow grabbed the hand in my head
There were demons, I know them
And they still come by
But we’ve become friends, my demons and I

I tried to die young
Really I tried
But the voice deep inside would not let me succumb
And I laugh at the things that I’ve done
When I tried to die young

I took a razor to the wrist of reality
Hell bent in my way toward futility
I got a reason to believe that it won’t go on forever
But reason to the heart is a message undelivered

Oh, I tried to die young

Now I’m the old girl, I never thought I’d become
Does it get any better asks the little girl in my song
I’m still learning the answers so I make up things, you see
She laughs, you’re still the same and you never kill me

I tried to die young
Boy, did I try
The voice deep inside would not let me succumb
And I laugh at the things that I’ve done
When I tried to die young

Oh, I laugh at the things I’ve done
I laugh at the things I’ve done
Oh, I laugh at the things I’ve done
When I tried to die young

Boy did I try, really I, really, I tried
I tried to die young

I tried to die young

I tried to die young

And I laugh at the things I've done
When I tried to die young