By and By

Oct 15, 2024

Hi all,

Thank you for joining me for the song, “By and By”, by Chumbawamba (2005). If you’d like to hear the song before you read about it, I’ve included a YouTube video with lyrics below the article.

Along the road of life, we meet certain people who become very close friends. And then, for one reason or another, our paths go off in different directions. Sometimes, one path stops suddenly.

My best friend passed away yesterday. This morning, I took a walk along a nearby river to a place where someone had planted flowers. I remembered sending my friend some photos of the flowers to cheer her up. On my way back home, this song came on my playlist. I could almost hear my friend saying these words to me. I thought I would share them with you.

The song was written and sung by the UK group, Chumbawamba. I think it is one of the most beautiful songs they’ve ever done.

There are some phrases that learners might not be familiar with. One is “wind up the clocks”. In various cultures, there is a custom of stopping the clocks when someone dies. It shows respect for the person who passed away. Here, they’re saying, “Don’t do that. Get on with your life!” To “ring around” could mean to contact or visit people and not stay alone with your grief (悲しみ、傷心).

Don't waste the days when I'm dead and I'm gone
Wind up the clocks, ring around, carry on
Don't gather flowers, dry your eyes, call your friends
For all I sang was a start, not an end
Catch your breath, feel the life in your bones
Enjoy what's to come, not the things that we've done
Save all your prayers, take the pain and the hurt
Add your chorus to my verse
By and by, by and by
Forget that glorious land above the sky
Don't you cry, don't you cry
By and by

There is a song called In the Sweet By and By that has deep roots in the African American spiritual tradition. [In the sweet by and by / We shall meet on that beautiful shore]. It expresses hope and a longing for freedom. During the Civil Rights Movement, it was used to unite activists who were fighting for justice and equality. During the union movement, union leader Joe Hill rewrote the lyrics to show that people should demand workers' rights and better conditions now rather than waiting for rewards in heaven [You’ll have pie in the sky when you die]. People still remember Joe Hill today as a hero for workers' rights. The song, Joe Hill, was written about his life. Here, Chumbawamba includes a few lines from that song.

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you and me
Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead"
"I never died," said he

I read the following yesterday on a post from another Substack writer:

Truly grieving is, in my opinion, one of the most courageous acts that one can undertake—not least because it requires us to be present to the reality in which our loss has occurred. (1)

Rest in peace, B, and healing to the rest of us.