Thursday, October 3, 2013

Dragonflies

I like dragonflies. They are such a beautiful insect, but I rarely see one in real life.



As a child, we often saw them around ponds and called them not dragonflies, but “snake doctors.” That comes from a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured.

In some cultures, dragonflies are seen as sinister are  linked with evil or injury.

But never mind all that. They are just fascinating creatures, in my opinion.
I have an entire Pinterest board devoted to dragonfly images, a few of which are below:
Art Nouveau plique-à-jour enamel and diamond dragonfly brooch, circa 1900. On Sotheby's web page.  The wings are mounted en tremblant, decorated with green and blue plique-à-jour enamel and edged in rose-cut diamonds, the body set with small old-mine and single-cut diamonds, the head of green enamel, mounted in gold and silver. Estimate: $15,000 — 20,000






Not surprisingly, I adore Little Lamb Dragonfly, a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney and originally released on the Wings 1973 album Red Rose Speedway.




I Have No Answer For You Little Lamb
 I Can Help You Out / But I Cannot Help You In
 Sometimes You Think That Life Is Hard
 And This Is Only One Of Them
 My Heart Is Breaking For You Little Lamb
 I Can Help You Out / But We May Never Meet Again
 La La La La La La La La ... Etc.

 Dragonfly Fly By My Window
 You And I Still Have A Way To Go
 Don't Know Why You Hang Around My Door
 I Don't Live Here Any More
 Since You've Gone I Never Know
 I Go On, But I Miss You So

 Dragonfly Don't Keep Me Waiting
 I'm Waiting Can't You See Me I'm Waiting
 When We Try We'll Have A Way To Go
 Dragonfly You've Been Away Too Long
 How Did Two Rights Make A Wrong
 Since You've Gone I Never Know I Go On
 But I Miss You So In My Heart
 I Feel The Pain
 Keeps Coming Back Again

 Dragonfly Fly By My Window
 I'm Flying Can't You See Me I'm Flying
 You And I Can Find A Way To See
 Dragonfly The Years Ahead Will Show
 How Little We Really Know
 Since You've Gone Its Never Right They Go On
 The Lonely Nights, Come On Home
 And Make It Right

 My Heart Is Aching For You Little Lamb
 I Can Help You Out / But I Cannot Help You In


From Wikipedia:

Music professor Robert Rodriguez described the tune of "Little Lamb Dragonfly" as "quietly haunting" with "the power to move people without their quite understanding why."

There have been several interpretations of what the song is about. One theory is that the song was inspired by the actual death of a sheep on McCartney's farm. McCartney confirmed that this is at least partially correct in an interview in the late 1980s.

Another interpretation is that it tells a story of how McCartney became a vegetarian.This interpretation is inspired by lines such as:

My heart is aching for you little lamb
I can help you out but I cannot help you in.

Another interpretation is that the song contains a friendly message to John Lennon, particularly the lines:

Since you've gone I never know
I go on but I miss you so.


However, Rodriguez believes the latter interpretation is unlikely, since other songs McCartney recorded during the Ram sessions seemed to be intended to provoke Lennon's anger. Rather, Rodriguez believes that the lyrics are merely a number of phrases that McCartney strung together because they sounded good together, without intending any particular meaning.

10 comments:

  1. I like dragonflies too. There was one of the fascinating creatures in my garden house just this week! I have two dragonfly tiffany lamps and love
    them. I also have a beautiful dragonfly
    pin you gave me as Christmas gift several years ago and I love it! Never knew that's what the snake doctors were we saw at the pond as children!
    Great info.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had forgotten I gave you a dragonfly pin. You must wear it soon so I can see it and remember!

      Delete
  2. Bill seems to have gone through a phase of giving me dragonfly brooches. I don't seem to wear any brooches much lately. I think it's because I wear cardigans more than jackets now that I'm retired. Never been a huge fan of McCartney after the Beatles. Haven't ever considered becoming a vegetarian, though we certainly eat less red meat that we used to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the idea of wearing pins on my lapel but I find it difficult to make them work for me. My HB is the biggest McCartney fan EVER, so I hear lots of his music, which I also like a lot.

      Delete
  3. I have lots of dragonflies in the garden for most of the summer. Mainly because we have a pool which they love to dart and flit around, usually mating.
    Some of them are wonderfully coloured, kingfisher blue, florescent green, and even red.
    I wouldn't say 'no thank you' to that exquisite Art Nouveau brooch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How lucky you are to see dragonflies in all colors. That is quite a brooch pictured, isn't it?

      Delete
  4. We don't have many dragonflies and it is an exciting rare treat when we spot one. I do like the dragonfly art/jewelry you featured. Can't say that the words to the song make a whole lot of sense to me.

    Darla

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But the music is so nice! I find that words in songs often don't make sense to me. I suppose I'm always looking for a literal interpretation!

      Delete
  5. We have a stream in the lower field which they flit about,do enjoy sitting on the bank watching them,the rascal fell in trying to catch one!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Poor little Oscah (sp?) I hope he was OK after his fall. With his short little legs it may be difficult for him to swim? Are you getting fall weather there? We are just now having our cool nights and wonderful autumn days.

      Delete