Ya Ho

James, the band, have recently come back into my life courtesy of Zenmomma Mary. They were never far off as, like the Smiths, they permeate my soul. Listening to "ya ho" the other day it occurred to me that way back in 1988 Tim Booth was a radical unschooler. Are these lyrics not a metaphor for schools vs. living in freedom without fear or what? The "tribe who drowned in a grave of gold" indeed. Okay, maybe it’s a tiny bit of a reach, but nifty nonetheless...

I nearly died when you jumped in/ But you had to drown before you could swim :: All the people on the beach, they were so impressed/ That they wanted to join you but no they wouldn’t undress :: Oh let that wetness splash their skin/ So they prayed for a whirlpool to pull you in :: So they looked away and they tried to pretend/ That it was for you, but no it wasn’t for them :: So the fear of sinking remains in place/ But it’s the fear of failure that’s a real disgrace :: Head in the sand, sea out of reach/ Swept away by the games of the beach :: Those people sat and watched your stand/ And the weight of their fears pulled them underground :: Will anyone learn from the stories that are told/ Of the tribe who drown in a grave of gold :: Let me be the one to take a cool long look with eyes prised wide/ To face those fears from which I hide