Light of a Clear Blue Morning

Guest post by Jay Davis

On a cold, rainy day when my Dartmouth students are trying to process the (inevitable, but still so hard) news from yesterday that summer term, too, will be online, and when someone I care deeply about lost his father to Covid-19, and when the national and international news piles up layer upon layer of tragedy (particularly for the most vulnerable among us), I crave any moments of light or warmth or hope.

So I am deeply grateful to Dolly Parton for writing “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”, to the Wailin Jennys for covering it so mesmerizingly, and to my daughter for giving the time (in take after take after take after take) to record her own version in three part harmony.

To quote the song, yes, “It’s been a long dark night, And I’ve been a waitin’ for the morning,” and I am not naive enough to think it is coming any time soon. But I can believe in the possibility of the “light of a brand new day, … the light of a clear blue morning…. that it’s gonna be OK.”   You can listen here if you would like.

Best to you all, and my whole family feels so ridiculously lucky to be living in this remarkable community.