A month or so ago, I wrote about “County Fair,” and called it a perfect song about a perfect day.
“There’s no plot to “County Fair,” no character development, transformation, or revelation. It’s just a song about being young and in love, in a small town on a perfect day.”
That description applies just as well to “The Honeymooners,” a Tunnel of Love outtake released more than a decade after it was recorded, as part of the Tracks collection.
“The Honeymooners” vividly captures a wedding day in a way that only someone who had recently had one could.
Whereas “County Fair” takes care to paint a full picture, “The Honeymooners” captures what it’s like on one’s wedding day by placing us at the center of activity and bombarding us with the fleeting impressions and interactions that carry us through the day while we remain curiously outside ourselves the entire time.
The first verse hurtles us through the ceremony itself:
Two kids get married, same old thing
Folks congratulate you, church bells ring
Who’s got the ring, who’s gonna pay the priest
Get your name in the paper, picture or two at least
…and the second immerses us in the reception, while the enormity of what we just committed to starts to sink in:
And at the reception all the old records play
“Where you gonna live, are you gonna taker her away?”
In a corner my new nephew’s showin’ me his knife
You swore that you’d love her for the rest of your life
In verse three, we’re alone with our new spouse, reliving and laughing about the events of the day:
Went to kiss you at the altar we bumped heads
Honeymoon night we figured we best shake on it instead
Dressed kinda funny, laughin’ we hop in bed
You can wear it on your feet, you can swear it on your head
…and finally, we wake up the next morning to our new normal:
Come mornin’ my new famlily’s sitting on the front porch swing
Smilin’ kinda funny, nobody says a thing
My new brother-in-law’s throwin’ a football, he tosses me a pass
We all sit down on the front stoop, everybody happy at last
It’s a magical moment, full of contentment. Of course, it’s fleeting. Or at least it will be, and the narrator probably knows it. But that’s not the point. The point is that in life, we have moments where everything else–our jobs, our fears, our sources of stress and strife–all fade into the background, and we are gifted with calm, peace, joy, and contentment.
The groom in “The Honeymooners” is wise enough to recognize the moment, to live in it and preserve it. May we all have that same gift.
The Honeymooners shares one other trait with “County Fair:” the crickets in “County Fair” draw us into the magic of a summer night in a way that the music itself couldn’t. In “The Honeymooners,” listen just past the 1:50 mark, as a barking dog and passing car take us on that front porch as the music trails off. Is it intentional, or is it background noise? (Bruce recorded “The Honeymooners” at home, after all, so either is possible.) I don’t know, but it’s accidental it’s also serendipitous, and it’s a perfect way to end a perfect song about a day of perfect moments.
The Honeymooners
Recorded: February 22, 1987
Released: Tracks (1998)
Never performed
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