WATERS OF MARCH
A stick, a stone
It’s the end of the road
It’s feeling alone
It’s the weight of your load
It’s a sliver of glass
It’s life, it’s the sun
It is night, it is death
It’s a knife, it’s a gun
A flower that blooms
A fox in the brush
A knot in the wood
The song of a thrush
The mystery of life
The steps in the hall
The sound of the wind
And the waterfall
It’s the moon floating free
It’s the curve of the slope
It’s an ant, it’s a bee
It’s a reason for hope
And the riverbank sings
Of the waters of March
It’s the promise of spring
It’s the joy in your heart
– Antonio Carlos Jobim –
1972
One of Brazil’s greatest songs, inspired by Rio de Janiero’s rainiest month and written in Jobim’s signature bossa nova style, I found myself humming it as Annie and I skirted puddles and crossed street streams during this mild, first week of March.
Click here to watch the most well-known version, sung in Portuguese by Jobim, accompanied by famous Brazilian singer, Elis Regina. And what’s become my favourite version, a high school jazz band playing at the 2015 Barcelona Jazz Festival. And here’s an English version sung by its composer.
While I imagine we’ll get more cold and snow, this week and this song are joyful reminders of what’s to come.
A Wabi Sabi Life 