Wednesday July 27, 2022 “Southern Cross” Crosby, Stills and Nash

Our nautical week is taking us to the southern hemisphere today.

Crosby Stills & Nash are as much an institution as they are a musical group.  All three are members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:  Crosby with The Byrds, Stills with The Buffalo Springfield and Nash with The Hollies.  Obviously they are also included as CSN as well.  And Stephen Stills is one of a very select few artists that appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock ‘69 and the Altamont Speedway Festival.

It is rumored that CSN auditioned and were rejected by the Beatles' Apple Records prior to signing their original contract with Atlantic Records. Whoever made that decision at Apple must still be kicking himself. CSN's eponymous debut album at Atlantic charted at number six on Billboard, went multi platinum, subsequently landed the group a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1970, and is considered one of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" by Rolling Stone. 

The actual “Southern Cross” which CSN sing about in today’s song is a constellation most clearly seen from the Southern Hemisphere with the four brightest stars forming a cross. Sailors know it well and use the Southern Cross to help navigate their boats.

Stay safe and well…and recently I read Graham Nash’s Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life and I found that it painted a rather unflattering picture of the star, which is odd for an autobiography

Got out of town on a boat, going to Southern islands.

Sailing a reach before a following sea.

She was making for the trades on the outside, and the downhill run to Papeete.

 Off the wind on this heading lie the Marquesas,

we got eighty feet of the waterline, nicely making way.

In a noisy bar in Avalon, I tried to call you.

But on a midnight watch I realized why twice you ran away.

 Think about how many times I have fallen. Spirits are using me, larger voices calling.

What heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten.

I have been around the world, looking for that woman-girl who knows love can endure.

And you know it will, and you know it will.

 When you see the Southern Cross for the first time,

you understand now why you came this way.

Cause the truth you might be running from is so small.

But it's as big as the promise, the promise of a coming day.

So I'm sailing for tomorrow, my dreams are a dying.

And my love is an anchor tied to you, tied with a silver chain.

I have my ship and all her flags are a flying.

She is all that I have left and music is her name.

 Think about how many times I have fallen. Spirits are using me, larger voices calling.

What heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten.

I have been around the world, looking for that woman-girl who knows love can endure.

And you know it will, and you know it will.

 So we cheated and we lied and we tested

and we never failed to fail, it was the easiest thing to do.

You will survive being bested.

Somebody fine will come along, make me forget about loving you at the Southern Cross.