La, a note to follow sew

The Sound of Music continues to intrigue me even at this age. Well, okay, age isn't really the best possible parameter to like or dislike masterpieces, but then, I couldn't find a good line to start this article. :)

My earliest association with the movie was "doe, a deer...". One of those songs that have an instant effect on you, and stay with you for a lifetime. I loved the way the lyricist used every note to create a meaningful line, and as the song proceeded (and I kept on humming without any sense of music whatsoever) I admired the beauty of the song:

Doe, a deer, a female deer (right from the grammar book),
Ray, a drop of golden Sun (as poetic as it gets),
Me, a name I call myself (once again, grammar made simple),
Far, a long, long way to run (I really loved singing the long-long bit),
Sew, a needle pulling thread (vocabulary for you),
La, a note to follow sew.

Bang! Crash!!

Hello, what was that again? You call that a line? I mean, has anyone ever come across such a terrible excuse of a line? I mean, this feels like you don't have a line to write, and your employees are giving you a tough time, so you come up with whatever line you think of. Seldom has such a beautiful song been marred by such a forced line. I mean, what was our man trying to do - just trying to put up whatever he could, just to go on to the next song?

*** *** ***

Well, that was what I had thought ages back. Now I know why he did it: it's not because he loved doing it, but because he didn't have an alternative. He had to do it. The line wasn't a perfect one, but there are times when everything doesn't go your way, and you need to come up with excuses, however imperfect, to replace them.

I'm glad my daughter hasn't asked me the question yet; but once she does, I hope she finds the line eerily imperfect throughout her life, and never gets to realise that excuses are often the only options one has while thriving for perfection.

*** *** ***

Tea, I drink with jam and bread...