The Pianolist: Born Free

My Life in Piano Rolls Part Two: As Free as the Wind Blows

My oldest daughter is about to turn 15. You can imagine where this is leading. No, I won’t talk about how emotional it’s been, how we’re getting through floor-writhing tantrums not seen since age 3 (her or me? I’ll never tell), or how hard it is to hold my tongue on a daily basis when she tells me I know nothing.

Instead, I’m going to tell you how she was initiated into the piano roll club. When she was finally old enough to pump the pedals of the pianola she was, well, pumped, of course. And like Harry Potter entering the wand shop, she was allowed to survey the rolls above the piano. Ollivander was played by my brother who listed a few song titles that she might like and then, magically, the song seemed to choose her. He placed the song Born Free into the piano and she began to press the pedals. She smiled as the roll started moving and then looked at us questioningly during the long pause before the song really begins. The energetic arrangement and scales, (would that be glissando?) and the tympanic percussion of the melody: BORN (high) FREE (low) hit her right in the music feels. I had never really remembered playing the song before,and it had never made an impact on me but from then on, we could be at my mom’s and suddenly hear the song coming from the basement. It’s not short either for a little person to make it through, barely reaching the pedals. But she’s always been small but fierce, petite, and super strong.

I love that the song chooses you. I think my roll was Lullabye of Birdland, and my 12 year old just found the medley of Pocahontas songs. And do you know what I love most about rivers? That’s right.

The song Born Free is from the 1966 film of the same name. It was written by John Barry with gloriously Don Quixote-worthy lyrics by Don Black. Matt Monro sang the original version. This was back when movie scores made the charts. It won an Oscar for Best Original song and a cover by Roger Williams made the Billboard Hot 100.

The movie itself is about a couple who have raised three lion cubs and go on a journey to reintroduce their last cub into the wild. How this relates to Joe Exotic and his feud with Carole Baskin, I’ll never know, but there is certainly an audience for stories of captive animals, those that would keep them, and those that would set them free. I can name Free Willy, Dolphin’s Tale, and Babe off the top of my head, (surely you can name more) though that last one is much more allegorical than literal I suppose. But that’s actually where I’m headed with this. I’ve been raising a lion cub.

This is my first teenager, so correct me if I’m way off the mark, but it seems to me that about this time, age 15 or so, we’re starting to realize that our Lion cubs are the real actual animals we always knew they were. And they’re realizing they’re the animals they’re not even sure they’re ready for. Because they don’t suddenly change into Lions. In fact, it’s incredible how quickly they show you who they are and then stay that person, how you can anticipate their reactions based on their daily inner animal spirits be they Lion, Sloth, Cat or flighty-as-hell Bird. Along the way, there have been many times when you feel like you’re releasing them into the wild, only to find they’ve caused an elephant stampede or bit someone over a pacifier or spent an entire dance under a table with a panic-stricken friend. Just a few random examples I’ve read about. And each time, the more Lion they show, the more proud you are and scared. The more annoyed you are, and excited. It’s ambivalence wrapped in dualities, inside a contradiction. But I digress…

I’m watching my sister-in-law send her oldest daughter, our first niece, off to college and as a high school teacher I know how fast those four years go too. I wish all the time that those little years weren’t so blasted formative while simultaneously hoping they could quickly finish formulating someone we all can be proud of. And by that I mean, a good person. Never would I count accomplishments above character. Look at me. And by the way, as graduation songs go, maybe it’s time to bring Born Free into the mix. Just sayin’. Lyrics below.

I don’t know why I did this, but the first moment I held my little, little, premature daughter, I told her she could go anywhere she wanted and be anything she wanted. I wasn’t trying to let her go but I think I wanted to sponsor this idea that I wouldn’t push too hard or hang on too hard. She’ll always be mine and I was no easy-going mama, but I made that promise real quick. Maybe it was the fact that she was a preemie that I wanted to think ahead, past all of the prenatal worries, to a time when she was growing up and jetting off somewhere. It was an act of hopeful normalcy. It was August and the Doctor had said, “It will be Thanksgiving before you know it,” which we took to mean, this day will pass and you’ll be sitting around a healthy baby, eating turkey and carrying on. So that’s always been a little mantra of mine as well. Picture them later, in the wild, when they’ve joined a pack of their own and have managed to make it. That’s what happened in the movie Born Free, by the way, the lion grew up and made it to its natural place.

The future will arrive, and in the meantime, this week I got my too-cool, almost-fifteen-year-old daughter to pump the player piano for me after two weeks of me saying “I would like you to go play that for me, so I can put it on my newsletter,” to which she would reply, “No.” And so I would follow that up by saying, “Ok, but when you play that for me, that’ll be really nice.” “No.” “Right. So when you play Born Free for me, be sure to smile.” And I got a smile out of her. I was funny again. I was Born Free. Cue music. (And try to sing along)

Born free
As free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
Born free to follow your heart

Live free
And beauty surrounds you
The world still astounds you
Each time you look at a star

Stay free
Where no walls divide you
You're free as a roaring tide so there's no need to hide

Born free
And life is worth living
But only worth living
'Cause you're born free

Stay free
Where no walls divide you
You're free as a roaring tide so there's no need to hide
Born free
And life is worth living
But only worth living
'Cause you're born free

No walls divide you! May you all live free and let the world astound you each day. In the voice of Oprah let me hear you say: you’re born free, and you’re born free, and you’re born free! Thanks for reading. Until next time…