Parson Brown v. Circus Clown

Bits and pieces this evening.

Non-music related. In China, they’re putting the finishing touches on a high-speed railway line that will travel a 1,070 kilometer route in three hours. Infrastructurist notes that that’s like having a train that could take you from Richmond, VA to Portland, ME in three hours. Man, that sure would be cool. Someday, perhaps.

Phish. I was listening to some live Phish this morning: February 4, 1993 at the Providence Performing Arts Center. It turns out that this show marked the first time that “Sample in a Jar” was played live. By crum, I was there for it.

The Internet is really amazing. This morning, at the deli, I heard Annie Lenox’s version of “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.” Just as I exited the deli, the song was at the part about “in the meadow we can build a snowman/and pretend that he’s a….” This prompted me to wonder, as I often have, why some versions of the song finish that line with “Parson Brown,” while other versions finish it with “circus clown.” Weirdly enough, DougJ at Balloon Juice wondered precisely the same thing in a post today at Balloon Juice. His commenters quickly explained – the song has two verses.