LYRICS
Summer’s up in a haze
I’ve been holding
On a little too tight
Little water to cool down and I’m
Swimming up on a tide
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Somebody’s waiting tired and lately, oh
Heat making those waves on the pavement
Some other haven, hate I’m shaking lord
I’m gonna be back someday
Cuz no one’s holding these hands
Tied up on me
All I’ve caught of a soul, is know
It’s on me
Summer’s up in a haze
I’ve been holding
On a little too tight
Little water to cool down and I’m
Swimming up on a tide
Oh, well I’m tired of waiting
It’s already taking a little too long to get back up
So show me the way
I know that it’s blatant lord
We all just need a little direction sometimes
Cuz no one’s holding these hands
Tied up on me
All I’ve caught of a soul, is know
It’s on me
Oh, Summer’s up in a haze
I’ve been holding
On a little too tight
Little water to cool down and I’m
Swimming up on a tide
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh some hold out my wholeness
Like a diamond I’m
In the cold cold water
Never showing us
How long we’ll go
Someday
Where I’ve gone is
Oh in the cold cold water
Never shown us too far, far from home
Too far from home… Da da da…
'726' is the only song in the Goose catalog that requires the amateur interpreter to decode a numeric title. While melodically unidirectional, the breezy ballad lends itself to a multitude of lyrical direction.
There are many ways to decipher what the title wants to reference in its digit form; but let us first take the suggestion offered by the opening line; "Summer's up in a haze." It is well understood that generally the season of summer is often associated with the months of June, July and August; and if you were anything like I was in my adolescence, bound by the calendars set forth by oppressors in education, you would agree with me that August generally marked the end of summertime with the normal school year beginning sometime mid-late month. Thus, my take on the title, and the song's opening statement, is that '726' is a reference to the date of 7/26. The 26th of July. "Summer's up..."
In an attempt to draw inspiration from this song, I have drawn on this particular date both in macro- and micro- form to find meaning not only for the listener, but also as a speculative peak behind the curtain of what was on the lyricist's mind.
THE DATE AT LARGE: THE MACRO THEORY
One thing to do when looking at the importance of a specific date is to find a historic list of events that occurred on the date in question; say for birthdays, anniversaries, any prominent date in one's life. Let us give July 26th the same treatment; here's the conclusion. It's quite obvious that in this song the writer is listlessly searching for meaning within his anxious state of being; or "holding on a little too tight" while grasping for a "little direction." We can all relate; and when times get tough we tend to throw our head back and look to the heavens for relief from the very same supreme being that makes us question our place in the cosmos. 'Lord' being referenced twice in the song; the celestial properties that generally play hand in hand with such requests are hard to ignore. The heavens, the stars, the seasons or the earth's rotation... the overarching macro lens we tend to look through when trying to find our center. Its no coincidence then, that not only does a) the song's melody accompanies our terrestrial senses that make us want to do just that; look to the heavens, eyes shut, only allowing the summer sun to pierce through our eyelids, with the breeze in our hair; but b) the date in which we are studying has some momentous breakthroughs to contribute to our physically seeing these connections in the universe. Look at this list and you can see why the irony is not lost here:
1609: English mathematician Thomas Harriot is the first person to draw a map of the Moon by looking through a telescope
1979: Pioneer 11 transmits images of Saturn and its rings
1993: The first of four photos of Mars is taken by the Mars Observer, just under a month before the spacecraft failed in flight
2018: Observation of a black hole by The Very Large Telescope in Chile proves Albert Einstein's prediction of "gravitational redshift", published in "Journal Astronomy & Astrophysics"
While scientific at their most basic characteristics; these developments have proven vital in man's pursuit of placement in the astral realm and the connectivity between the exploration of the mind and body within it. Also known as, the very essence of psychedelia coinciding with the universe. There too... I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention that on July 26 in 1579 (before ANY of the previously mentioned discoveries were made, mind you), Francis Drake, the English explorer, discovered a major bay on the coast of California; later identified as San Francisco; the very epicenter of the psychedelic movement in America and, without question, an inspiration to the writer of '726'. It all comes full circle.
THE SONG in GOOSE HISTORY: THE MICRO THEORY
If we are to lean heavily on the notion that the writer is penning the lyrics to '726' under the quandary of the 'meaning of life', or 'the great struggle', or whichever moniker we choose to associate hardship with, then perhaps it is necessary to view the song from the eyes of the writer himself. Now, let me preface the rest of this passage by stating:
THIS IS ALL PURE CONJECTURE AND CERTAINLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE REALISM OF THE SITUATION OR THE MEANING BEHIND THE SONG'S LYRICS
Ok, now that we've got that behind us, lets take a deep dive into the timing of everything as it pertains to the band's history and what COULD have been at play here. Goose debuted '726' on 6/20/20, performed then as 'Mystery Song #3', as the last song of night two during the infamous Bingo Tour. For our new listeners out there; Bingo Tour was a work-around approach to live touring during the COVID pandemic which saw the band livestream four nights of shows, from a quarantined location, in which each setlist was curated by the lucky bounce of a bingo ball that called out song titles. In this case, the ball read 'mystery song', and the band chose to unwrap a very unpolished, plodding version of this song worthy of such a commentary.
Therefore, with this timeline in mind we should assume that the song was written relatively recently in the band's catalog, which was growing at the same pace as the band's budding popularity on the jam scene. If we are to assume the date of July 26th has any weight in the tune's title; we should then spin the calendar back to the previous year and look specifically at the date of 26 July 2019, ergo, the most recent 26th of July up to this point. Follow closely...
Let us then, for the sake of the song title's etymology, assume that Rick is sitting down to put pen to paper on some lyrical scribblings on this exact date. What do we find? Here we find the creative leader of a band that has been hopping around the underground jam scene for going on 5+ years, having just played the home state of one of the biggest band's in the genre's history (Phish) just the night before. Only... at a meager venue the likes of Orlando's Bar and Lounge (no disrespect to the patrons of such an establishment). After 5 years, what kind of success do these efforts have, to speak of? "Summer's up" after all, following a season of menial bar stops and modest music festivals. Albeit a desirable brag for fans in attendance in those days, to be sure.
"But what is the end game?" The writer may ask. In seeking these answers, he begins to wax poetic. "I've been holding on a little too tight." "Somebody's waiting tired and lonely, heat making waves on the pavement." Ah! The familiar struggling musician's ode; the lonely touring road.
But here is where hope enters the scene, and its no surprise the melody of these next lyrics launches into a higher octave, bound for grace and positivity, lifting him up from the doldrums. "No one's holding these hands tied up on me." A refrain of encouragement as if to say... "I am my own maker of success, and with these hands I can achieve that dream."
"All I've caught of a soul is know... its on me." The responsibility of the band's plight rests with themselves.
But the internal struggle continues. Here's where the literal and physical embodiment of a few lyrics come together. It is important to remember that during this summer run, Rick was bound to a rolling desk chair on stage after injuring his leg. "It's already taking a little too long to get back up, show me the way". Again, asking a higher power, and admitting it as a "blatant" request, for some kind of refuge from an injury that is keeping his psychedelic experience at bay when on stage. But perhaps also, a plea for help and guidance along the way.
The other lyric that suggests the band's struggle to find success, while maintaining authenticity, emerges in the ending phrase of "like a diamond I'm in cold cold water, never showing us how long we'll go". Diamonds are tested for their genuineness pretty easily, by placing them in water. Real diamonds will sink where imitators will rise.
Given the inclination that the song was written on July 26th, 2019; as a song journal entry may suggest for a meaningful lyric left untitled; we must then look to the next night.
Here is the payoff. Here is where the writer finds his answer. Here is where the band takes its next step toward the next 5 years. Here is where the diamond falls to the bottom of the cup.
July 27th, 2019.
Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Peach Music Festival.
The band takes the stage to perform their most iconic set to date. Rick's once tied hands let loose on a cover of the Grateful Dead's Mississippi Half-Step that would make the ghost of Francis Drake blush, followed by a tour-de-force in the band's original jam opus, Arcadia.
All questions are answered, the struggle ceases, and all eyes are opened to the latest discovery born out of 7-26. Goose.
No telescope needed.
With the momentum from Peach Fest carrying the band on its way through to a stellar touring end to 2019, with a fall and winter tour posting many oft-revisited shows; it could be assumed that the lyrical journal originally scribed under the 'July 26th' heading might be forgotten as the band continued to taste growing success. The entry may have been left to its own unseen origination, left buried as another musing from the song's writer in a collection of similar scribblings.
However, after the taste had become familiar, and an exuberant 2020 tour schedule all but finalized; the forces that be would press the pause button to put everything on hold. The COVID pandemic was in full tilt, and any and all positive vibes surrounding that band; a result of the back half of the band's raucous 2019, was halted. It is here that we might surmise a familiar struggle creeps back into the band's minds. Would all that momentum be lost? Would the jam scene still be the same when things normalize, and when would that even be? What is the future of this band in a world handcuffed by a pandemic?
The writer recalls a homogenous thought and turns back a song penned the previous year. Journal entry '26 July, 2019.'
Invigorated by the energy that resulted by the original point of view; the writer approaches the band with the request to develop the lyrics into a working piece as they collectively begin to strategize a solution to tour remotely during a pandemic that kept live audiences sidelined. Bingo Tour was born, as was the early version of '726', which they debuted on 6/20/20 on the second night of said tour. The song quickly finds itself deeply rooted into the Goose songbook, and continues to be played; albeit as a much different, more developed incarnation now; as the pandemic releases its grip on the restrictions surrounding live music.
In the end, '726' is just another song about struggle. The constant fight to find our center. Does the inspiration for the lyrics stem from a specific date on the calendar? Probably not... but I choose to find peace in the idea that it just may contribute to my own victory over the grapple with everyday life; finding the balance between mental, physical, emotional and spiritual existence and coming out the other side of it knowing that sometimes you just have to look up, take that breath, reset, and know that you are the only person that holds the cards for your happiness. I hope this helps you find that same sentiment.
Keep jamming,
tDC
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