Friday photo challenge – Between the Lines

| Chris Riley

This week’s challenge from Amanda is, Between the Lines. See Amanda’s post, and challenge here: https://forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com/2019/07/05/friendly-friday-photography-challenge-between-the-lines/

None of our own photos came to mind for this challenge. Instead I could think of only two things. The first was a recurring nightmare I used to have as a child. In the nightmare I was in the middle of numerous railway lines, all criss crossing, with trains bearing down on me from all directions. In my nightmare I was always trying to anticipate where to stand between the lines so as to be safe, but frequently I would awake in a cold, terrified, sweat when I realised my judgement was wrong and a big, black, train engine was almost on top of me. I’m sure a dream interpretater could make much of it…..

  • The stuff of childhood nightmares

The other mind trigger from this prompt was Janis Ian’s album released in 1975, titled, Between the Lines.

I didn’t become overly familiar with the lyrics from the songs on the album until a couple of years later in 1977/78. The poetic lyrics of most of the songs where full of melancholy and sadness, and at the ripe old age of 22, and already the mother of two, I started to think about the world outside of myself.

I’ve taken the liberty of stringing together the titles of all of the tracks from that album. If you’re not familiar with the songs, I’m sure you’ll see from just the song titles how melancholy the songs were. I loved them then, and I love them now.

Come on, in the winter, light a light.

Water colours, Bright lights and promises, from me to you, at seventeen.

When the party’s over, tea and sympathy, between the lines – a lovers lullaby!

9 thoughts on “Friday photo challenge – Between the Lines”

  1. This is a special post. As if you deal with your nightmares and memories of your youth by way of our Friendly Friday. Sounds good. Healing. 🙂 Thank you for introducing Janis Ian to me. I don’t think I have ever listened to her knowingly.

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    1. Her song, ‘at seventeen’ was huge in its day. I couldn’t help but think of my childhood nightmare for last week’s prompt. In the night mare I really was scared, frozen, between the lines.

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  4. An interesting take on the prompt, Chris. I am glad the nightmare wasn’t real. Our minds can surely make it realistic though. I went through a traumatic experience in my early twenties and had recurring nightmares for quite a few years. Eventually they subsided. Time is a healer. I think that is also a song lyric somewhere. I remember Janis Ian and those melancholy songs. I was never a fan, but I did sing along to them on my 9 volt battery operated ‘trani’
    Thanks so much for joining in again.

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