The song
"Pale Green Things" is also one that I've been playing and singing for a long time. I've always liked playing it close to the way it was originally recorded by Mountain Goats on
The Sunset Tree. Playing it took on new meaning for me not too long ago when Caitlin's Dad, Bill, passed away. Caitlin and I have been living with her parents in Las Cruces, New Mexico since December. I think it was some time in mid January that Bill was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and was put on home hospice care. His mobility went down by a lot, and so we would go hang out with him in the master bedroom, talking and watching Man Vs. Wild, Mythbusters and the like. Although I didn't get to know him long before he passed away, I have some great memories with him. He was a fantastic man, a great friend to me, and a wonderful father to Caitlin and her siblings.
The day he died, we were gathered in his room, staying with him in his last hours. At one point, I left the room to make food for everyone, made a phone call to my Mom to tell her what was happening, and sat down to play Pale Green Things. As I was playing, I thought I could hear crying in the other room, and I knew that Bill must have died. The song will always remind me of that moment.
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