Every Moment Has A Song

Ian Anderson: “Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song)” (2003)

Although Jethro Tull albums are written chiefly if not solely by Ian Anderson, his solo stuff tends to be a complete contrast. 2003’s Rupi’s Dance, as well as The Secret Language of Birds of three years earlier, appear to be more of an outlet for the laid-back, more acoustic work Anderson seems to increasingly enjoy recording and performing these days.

“Calliandra Shade”, as the album’s first track, is a perfect declaration of intent for such a pastoral record. It’s a song too inconsequential, too casual for a Tull album, and a perfect slice of Ian’s other side. Here he simply invites you to join him at his favorite table at an outdoor café, sip a designer coffee and enjoy the warm sunshine and loose conversation. It’s deliberately about nothing–the anti-Jethro Tull song. And it’s delightful.

I sit in judgment on the market square
I have my favorite table and I have my chair
Natives are friendly and the sun flies high
All kinds of crazy waiters, they go drifting by

Hours last forever in the Calliandra shade
Conversation going nowhere and yet everywhere
Kick off those sad shoes and let the bare toes tingle
Slip off that shoulder strapless and the thick black hair

Come, sit with me and take decaf designer coffee
Come, laugh and listen as the ragamuffin children play
Lame dog and a black cat, now they shuffle in the shadows
You got cappuccino lip on a short skirt day

Electric afternoon and shrill cellphones are mating
Lame dog is dreaming, dreaming of a better life
Where bed is fluffy pillows, table scraps are fillet mignon
Flicked indiscreetly by the lazy waiter’s knife

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/06/04/songs-you-may-have-missed-118/