They came to ride the horses, to give them one last spin
They came with their cameras to take the last views in
They paid their last respects
Last-ditch games cashed in, then left
Like ex-lovers taking what they had and drifting apart
Those who came for fun, they came a bit too late
They were met by the ghosts of what was and what could’ve been, undecided by fate
The remains of yesterday’s rides
Are only rubble to untrained eyes
But it’s holy wreckage to the knowing heart
A couple of days wandering might be mighty fine
In the shadow of the abandoned rollercoaster all covered with vines
But if it’s thrills they’re wanting
They’re never gonna find it haunting
These plowed-over fields that once held the amusement parks
They made us big promises, they exploited our dreams
All they left us was a skeleton of cracked cement and rusted beams
The master plan turned out to be a dud
Making progress like a wheel spinning in the mud
And there’s no light at the end of the tunnel ‘cause we’re being kept in the dark
But there’s four arms straddling fully functional five-star hotel
Gleaming and sparkling amidst all the ashes, rising where all fell
The tower keeps watch over the wild proceedings like a silent sentinel
Waiting for the day that will see the rebuilt carousel
With a blessing of hope
Well, the storm of the century came and beat up on our scene
It rose up in a biblical fury and smashed all to smithereens
Whatever little remained
Was blown by the wind and washed by the rain
Say goodbye to this East Coast Eden maybe once and for all
And now every year things get progressively worse
Like a poem getting more depressing with each successive verse
Don’t think what I did isn’t sitting on my mind
It’s killing me that I left you behind
And sometimes I can’t help but feel that I dropped the ball
Baby, I know things are gonna get better for us
I know things can’t stay this way forever for us
There’s gotta be a way to get it all together for us
I know there’s gotta be a change in the weather for us
‘Cause the snow’s been falling, the lake’s been frozen way too long
And it’s been taking me an eternity just to write you this song
But after the long winter the sun’s gonna shine real strong
‘Cause as long as you are, baby, I know not everything was wrong
You’re my blessing of hope
You’re my blessing of hope.
©2017 The Hesh Inc.
The last song on my fourth album, Soul In Exile 3: Love Runs Aground, was written not long after I arrived at the Jersey Shore after leaving Boston and my life as I had lived it up to that point. Here I had wanted nothing more than to become a local at the Shore for so long, and I finally got it. Shortly after my arrival, the historic Casino building in Asbury Park closed; immediately before closing there was one last day when people came from all around to play its arcade games and go on the funhouse rides, including the legendary carousel. I attended and did the same, taking a series of photographs in the process; it was impossible to avoid the pervasive sense of melancholy enveloping the place. The city itself was on the way down during that era, and the Casino's closing was a major nail in the coffin of the old Asbury. In the wake of all too many of the local businesses closing, the boarding-up of store windows, the misguided and ultimately failed redevelopment attempts, the municipal corruption, and the never-ending stream of bad news, I was desperately looking for glimmers of hope—some glowing embers within the ashes.
In his review of the album in his ShoreWorld column in The Aquarian Weekly, John Pfeiffer wrote:
The last song on this too-compact disc is called "Blessing Of Hope." Returning to his perspective of the past, Hesh tells the tale of the "Holy Wreckage" from the past. Amusement parks decaying into the ground combine with impotent master plans of the future as he longs for the rebuilding of the carousel from the good old days. The termination of the East Coast destruction is the theme here, and it means a lot to me. Drums, bass, and pianos lay an amazing background over this song of regret of the present and the forlorn missed days of the past. This is a strong statement of what was good and what sucks today, and it's a solid piece. [Guitarist PK] Lavengood's lead break is both beautiful and sad, laying framework like handcrafted wainscoting on a decaying mansion doorway. Pianos tumble into the ending along with Lavengood's skilled six-string work as the band heads for the barn. Beautiful work by all on this song and record. The brass work (courtesy of Danny Flam) shines brightly here as well.
Ahh, but that is only the surface, the simple explanation of the lyrics. There is a deeper interpretation: the song is about, and is addressed to, my older daughter, whose name comes from the Hebrew words for "blessing" and "hope."
More than that is beyond the scope of this blog. All I will say is—as I sing in the last verse—I hope and I pray that the ice melts and things between us get better. I will always be here for her, as long as I am still among the living. That is all.
Listen to the song here: