The Mamas and the Papas, "Dancing Bear"

Filed under "Be careful what you wish for": Denny Doherty and his fellow Mamas and Papas sing in "Dancing Bear" (I like that abbreviated live clip, but go here for the full song) that rather than being a humble chimney sweep, "I'd rather be the gypsy / Who's camped at the edge of town." Sounds nice, a slice of '60s idealism of freedom, until you get to the verse not included in that live perf: "And when I am a grown man / I'll taste just what I please / The honey from the bee / The shellfish from the sea / The earth, the wind, a girl / Someone to share these things with me."

None of those are promised to any of us as grown adults ... especially the latter. Especially for us gypsies of the cosmos.

Or, put another way:

Lost in Space (a/k/a Poem for a Gypsy)

Some of us have muses,
Some inquisitors, interrogators;
But what of the man who has no inspiration,
No collaborators?

Some of us get married,
Have our children, have our houses;
But what of the man who has no close relations,
No spouses?

Some of us have legacies,
Carry names for offspring to come;
But what of the man who has no generation,
No home?

We're a mobile and free culture, for the most part and increasingly. But increasing disconnection is a consequence, and disconnection is a drag sometimes.