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"Quilt the drowsy night song," a line from poet Jane Hirschfeld's "Sleep," brings to my mind "Puff the Magic, etc.", whose meter it matches. This is a facetious comparison. And yet, our uninvited musical memories are important. I read a book whose message was to heed and study the songs and musical phrases that pop into our minds. (The ones that remain, sometimes far longer than we want, are called "ear worms.")
If you wake, said the author, with a song fragment in your head, study it with the same attention you would apply to your dreams, for the songs carry a message from your unconscious.
"Puff," above, was called into my mind because it matched the meter of the "quilt…" line. I understand this. But what am I to make of the fact that for the last two days I have been unable to stop humming "The Darktown Strutters' Ball". Which of the lines of its lyrics am I to take as the message?
"I'll be down to get ya in a taxi, honey" (Message: I should give up on public transit and spend my money on cabs.)
"Better be ready 'bout half-past eight" (Message: Pay particular attention to 8:30 a.m. and
"Now, honey, don't be late" (Message: clear as it stands.)
"I want to be there when the band starts playin'" (Message: Leave in plenty of time so you don't miss the curtain.)
And so forth.
Maybe the key point to remember is that although some of the music that rises uninvited from our depths deserves close attention, the remainder, as in this case, is just annoying.
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