Sing My Song
Ramble on...
Leaves are falling all around It's time I was on my way Thanks to you I'm much obliged For such a pleasant stay But now it's time for me to go The autumn moon lights my way For now I smell the rain And with it pain And it's headed my way Ah, sometimes I grow so tired But I know I've got one thing I got to do Ramble on And now's the time, the time is now To sing my song - Ramble On
In a paraphrase to Tolkien, “Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall,” Jimmy Page and Robert Plant could not have expressed more the journey of my life in their song, “Ramble On.”
In an ode to “what song takes you right back to a place and time?,” this one lends itself to how I was made. No matter what happens in my life, I’m gonna sing my song. Even when there’s trouble and the leaves are falling all around, I will ramble on and find my way back.
It was 1978 and I was a senior in a three year high-school, which at the time was called Granada Hills High School, the largest school in the nation. My years there were spent getting bad grades, working at the mall, struggling, while cheerleading, driving to acting interviews in L.A., attending dance classes and hanging out with football players, one of which was another Pro Football Hall of Famer, John Elway. I was more friendly with his sister Jana, who I liked to play tennis with, because she was so good and I wasn’t (that’s how you get better at stuff). Sidenote: She was John’s twin and sadly developed lung cancer, passing away at the age of 42, with his “famous football dad” passing a year prior. Heartbreaking. I did not keep up with them after graduation, as John went onto become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
An odd life really, because it was this American life, and my life. Inside my home, was more like a British life… which I have carried in my heart all these years. My very own t.v. drama/comedy of sorts. That Firefly Lane thing I’ve mentioned before, except I was Kate. Always have been. Taking a happy backseat to others, strong despite, determined and willing to be walked over - then realizes, as she gets older… much older, she’s done. She’s done with those things.
But I digress.
In the fall of 1978, with a stunning opportunity, that had a crowd of 900 spectators in the stands (yes. nearly 1k) listening to the hush like deer in the headlights, a tall skinny guy walks onto the Friday night glow of the football field, as the announcer says “Starting at quarterback in place of John Elway will be Walter Seymour.”.
Walter Seymour was an 11th grade Jr. Varsity football player with Donny Osmond appeal. He had an even bigger brighter more toothy smile than Elway (if you can believe). He was shy, kind and humble and he would be called out to back a fellow 11th grader that was already making waves across the entire country of high school sports.
John Elway was out with a knee injury. But John was everywhere all the time.
For anyone that doesn’t know, John lead, not just in football, where his dad, Jack Elway, was head coach at San Jose State University (finishing out his career at Stanford, where scouts would often appear on our football field)… John also lead in baseball, where I was a bat-girl (insert quizzical face) while Steinbrenner’s scouts were walking around the diamond vying for him to come play for one of the Yankee’s upper farm teams. Our gym would go wild like a rock star was playing during basketball season. I was there cheering and jumping in the air when the stomping of the bleachers could deafen.
This was what high school in America was like, right? I was cheerleading for Super Bowl games and I had no clue. Maybe that’s why the real Super Bowl feels so over the top (it is). We were living in the days of the best down-home Friday Night Lights of the decade.
I remember thinking Walt had big shoes to fill. We had been hanging out at lunch. I related to the kids in the class below mine because I really should have been in it. I was born on December 2nd and needed to be five by that day so…
I started school in September at the age of four.
Walt became my friend. Not really an official boyfriend. I thought he was adorable. He did great that night and lead us to three consecutive regular-season victories. I remember at the game everyone was so proud of him because his high school career in football was completely overshadowed and would stay that way.
At the end of the season he invited me to go dirt-biking with some friends. Guy friends. For anyone who knew my parents they would be stunned to realize this today … they let me go.
He knew I knew how to ride, but I was going to be on the back of his bike exploring the hills of Gorman, a small community of rugged canyons tucked away in Tejon Ranch. In a way this was good because they had really powerful bikes and I liked to ride but I wasn’t anywhere near able to hold up one of those bikes. I rode smaller dirt motorcycles during camping trips from nine years old into my teens.
So they came by in one of those questionable vans loaded with bikes, gear, food and big smiles.
One might think this was the craziest thing ever. My parents were literally sending their only daughter into the middle of nowhere in a van full of motorcycles and guys. But they sensed that Walt was a good person. These were the days where we did all kinds of things like this (except I wasn’t allowed to hitchhike and too scared to anyways) because we really trusted good character. My dad trusted Walt and my dad loved that I loved motorcycles and anything with an engine. Walt had proven himself to be a good friend and a good guy and we had a blast.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
As we were driving Walt stuck the Led Zeppelin II album into the 8-track player. We were hitting all kinds of bumps heading into the canyon and suddenly “Ramble On” began to play. He cranked it up as if to say, “yeah.”
In that moment, I had never had more fun or related more to a person than Walt. He had his time on the field and he just carried on. That song blasted from the radio, as we rounded corners on a one-lane dirt road. He was in his element. I was in mine. I understood him. I got it. To this day I hear Ramble On and smile.
Elway was going places.
So was Walt.
So was I.
We just keep going.
The time is now.
Sing your song.
Ramble on…
“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” - Psalm 59:16
This song is one of my favorites, too. I loved reading about the musings and memories it conjures up for you. Keep rambling and writing on ☺️
This stirred up some memories. Still can't believe Dad let you go but he must have imagined how much he would have wanted to do this at that age if he would have had the opportunity.