Nearly every summer of my later childhood, we took a family road trip from San Diego to Lake Tahoe. It was on these nearly 10-hour drives that I first heard Harry Chapin’s music. About half way through the drive up California Highway 395 – close to the point where there is absolutely nothing to look at – my dad would break out Chapin’s “Greatest Stories Live” cassette tape.
Chapin’s songs are not traditional tunes. For one, they’re longer than the typical radio play. But also, they can be difficult to listen to, because there’s a lot of sadness and regret tinged within his words and stories. That, coupled with my bittersweet childhood memories, can make this wonderful record hard for me to listen to at times.
But there’s one song on this record that is an anthem of hope on a background of resignation. “She is Always Seventeen” tells the story of a woman who was always driven by hope and never gave up believing in a better tomorrow … from 1961 when she celebrated President Kennedy’s election to protesting the Vietnam War, to singing at Woodstock, to picketing President Nixon. Chapin sings from the perspective of her husband/partner/friend (we’re not quite sure what it is other than a level of closeness and connection), who is in awe of her strength, her courage, her hope, and her perseverance.
I guess in some ways, I admire the woman in this song. While I’m someone who tries to stay positive and have hope when possible, on days like today that can be a tall order.
My dad turned 75 last Sunday. So I pulled out this record to listen to that song – just that one tonight – to give me some comfort. And also as a thank you to my dad, for giving me the gift of that song so many years ago.
“Oh, she is always seventeen
She has a dream that she will lend us
And a love that we can borrow
There is so much joy inside her
She will even share her sorrow
She’s our past, our present
And our promise of tomorrow
Oh, truly she’s the only hope I’ve seen
And she is always seventeen.”