Hoogste tijd om weer even te luisteren naar het vertrouwde geluid van James Taylor, mijn grote favoriet sinds de vroege jaren 70. Hier zingt hij zijn prachtige lied Line ‘Em Up, dat komt van zijn veertiende album Hourglass uit 1997. Hij speelt het 10 jaar later bij een concert in Pittsfield, tijdens zijn concertserie One Man Band.

Line ‘Em Up
I remember Richard Nixon back in ’74,
And the final scene at the White House door.
And the staff lined up just to say good-bye.
Tiny tear in his shifty little eye.
He said, nobody knows me,
nobody understands.
Little people were good to me.
Oh, I’m gonna shake some hands.

Somebody line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Oh line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Help me line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Yeh line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.

Oh at that time my heart was all broke.
I looked like ashes, and smelled like smoke.
And I turned away from my loving kind,
try to leave my body and live in my mind.
But it’s much too much emotion,
to hold in your hand.
They’ve got waves out on the ocean,
they’re gonna wear away the land.

I say line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Oh line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Can’t you line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Yeh line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.

Ah I’ve seen corn in Kansas.
And I’ve seen picket fences.
And certain cowboy dances.
I’ve been lining up for shows.
I’ve been safely placed in rows.
Sure I know how it goes.

Yet another day goes by,
little time machine.
I’m breaking my brain
over what it might mean.
Just to claim the time,
and to turn away.
To make today today.

Who waits for you,
lonely tired old toad?
It’s your life laid out before you.
Like the broken white line down
the center of the road.

Line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Ah line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Help me to line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Oh line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.

Yeah big moon landing.
People all standing up.
Smiles for the loved ones.
We go walking on down the aisles.
Each re-engages,
stepping into the sun.
I watch them turn like pages,
one by one by one.

Oh line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Can’t you line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Yeh line ‘em up
line ‘em all up.

Come on line ‘em up,
help me line ‘em all up.
We got to line ‘em up,
just to line ‘em all up.
It works when you line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.
Oh line ‘em up,
line ‘em all up.