Kodachrome Way

[bnewman]

Written on the occasion of my mother's 75th birthday, I tried to capture both something about who my mom is when she's in her own element — in this case, as a photographer and writer — and something about our relationship, all framed by a source song from my parents' musical milieu.

lyrics by Benjamin Newman

ttto: "Kodachrome" by Paul Simon

listen to this song

/: D D7 G - / Em A7 D - :/

 

When I think back on all the things I learned from Mama

It's no wonder I have an artist's eye

And that informal education serves me best of all

When it lets the writing come alive

 

See, Mama taught me how to use a camera

Looking through the lens to find the perfect view

And in film or words, to take what only you can see

And fix it so the world can see it too

 

/ GB7 E7 /: Am D G C / A D G (E7) :/

 

Kodachrome...

Look at those nice, bright colors

We live in a world of wonders

Learn how to fix those wonders so they stay

I know that my mind's a camera

And words can paint a photograph

So Mama, teach me that Kodachrome way

 

If you recall the girl she was when she was little

She learned the camera at her Papa's knee

I suppose that the obsession must be in the blood

Because Mama, she passed it on to me

 

But Mama isn't only good with pictures

She can wrap a picture in a frame of prose

It's a lot of work to make it look so easy

And it's a secret that not everybody knows

 

Kodachrome...

Look at those nice, bright colors

We live in a world of wonders

Learn how to fix those wonders so they stay

And whether I'm behind the camera

Or polishing a second draft

Mama, teach me that Kodachrome way

Mama, teach me that Kodachrome way