Mandarin Oranges from New Mexico by Jacob Smigel
"Mandarin Oranges" was partly inspired by the times I spent fishing and playing in the streams with my brother. We played the childhood game called “run along the river rocks,” where one races across or along a stream while trying not to fall in. The line “as if without choice,” is in regards to the ease with which our bodies make subtle decisions about foot placement and balance when hiking. I’m amazed that while humans can barely build a robot that can climb simple stairs, we ourselves can prance along river rocks without mental strain. This point is also made in a somewhat different way in Jack Kerouac’s novel "Dharma Bums," in which mountain-climbing hobos liken this same complex process to Zen and the path to enlightenment.
Tracklist
| 4. | Mandarin Oranges | 2:17 |
Lyrics
Mandarin Oranges
Let us share a can of mandarin oranges by the stream on the rocks,
Leaping from stone to stone as if without choice,
How little is my voice,
I can’t tell anyone…
When your parents die, they’ll be no more giants in the world,
I’m just kiddin’ how could I know.
I’ve seen kisses blown and I’ve seen hits and misses thrown,
In New Mexico…
Let us share a can of mandarin oranges by the stream on the rocks,
Leaping from stone to stone as if without choice,
How little is my voice,
I can’t tell anyone…
