his heart was a low country heart

Scrappin' Fun posted a blog challenge to write about a song... this is one that often comes to mind.

The song is Prince of Tides by Jimmy Buffett. This song reminds me of my dad for many, many reasons...

1) My dad has always loved Jimmy Buffett and passed that love on to me...not just of JB, but of music in general...but specifically raised me as a parakeet (Buffett's enduring title for children of parrotheads).

2) Prince of Tides is a novel by Pat Conroy, on which JB based his song. I got my love of reading from my father as well. He is also the one that introduced me to Pat Conroy and why I read this particular book. To this day, he and I still have similar tastes in books.

3) The song also has some narration in it. This is actually the part that MOST reminds me of my dad. The final line of the narration before the song begins... "He had returned to the sea, and his heart was a low country heart." I grew up in the low country of South Carolina and my dad still lives there. Though he was born a Yankee, he adapted to the low country life in a manner that would lead anyone to believe he was born with his toes in the salty Atlantic waters. He loves the water, and from him, I too learned to love the water, boats, and all things low country.

4) Last but not least...in an extension of his love for music, my father also taught me to love beach music (did I mention, you'd never know he was a yankee?). Ever since I was a young child, I have loved the sound of a song which brings about images of a shagging couple in my head - this is what lead me to take shag lessons as an adult. At the end of this song, Jimmy Buffett breaks off into the chorus of "Save the Last Dance for Me" and ends with "beach music, beach music, beach music, just plays on". (Just as a fun note...Pat Conroy's next book after The Prince of Tides, was entitled Beach Music).

I know it's common for one to "realize" a lot about their parents as they get older. But, as silly as it may seem, this song really has opened my eyes to just how much I learned, inherited, gathered from my father. Everytime I hear it, I think of him and realize another nuance of our relationship and treasure him, and the song, that much more.