AIO Songs #1: The Great Adventure (Neal Morse Band)

 

A pretty good song to start off this series, huh? I mean, it’s literally called “The Great Adventure.” Adventures in Odyssey, you know?

Why does it remind me of AIO?

First off, the title, like I said. But several other lines remind me of Odyssey, as well. “I can see the city standing there” makes me picture the singer heading for Odyssey.

“I’m going for the simple way/Like Huck and old Tom Sawyer” reminds me of some of those older characters, like Tom especially. “The path of the peaceful warrior” is a bit like Jack. And these lines could apply to Whit as well.

“I am striving for a better life and/I feel like I can make it here” could fit a lot of characters (Richard Maxwell and Buck Oliver are two I can think of, though there’s probably plenty of others). Several of the lines of the second verse apply here as well.

I love this next one: “I’m on the path my father trod/And the answer to me lies/Maybe somewhere in his eyes”. Beautiful line. And it reminds me of Jason, in a way. His relationship with his father, especially when he first comes to Odyssey. But honestly… it could apply to so many of the other characters, who think of Whit as a father.

Then the bridge. “All the voices” connects to radio, because they’re all voices. Right now, I’m honestly just thinking about the people who don’t get into it because it’s just radio. They got trapped in all they see, or can’t see.

“Lunatics and politics,” yeah, there are those in some of the sagas. Novacom made a few lunatics, and Blackgaard had several counterplots going in politics.

To wrap it up, the last line of the chorus “Anything can happen here” is Odyssey to a T. That’s why I always loved that one exchange in Ties That Bind so much:

“It feels like anything could happen in a place like this!”
“Oh, give it time. It will.”

It’s just so Odyssey. Literally ANYTHING can happen here.

 

Lyrics:

I'm headed out to who knows where

My path is treading lightly

I can see the city standing there

The morning clouds behind me

 

And where I go I will be found

As the valley mystifies

And the world turns on its side

 

I'm going for the simple way

Like Huck and old Tom Sawyer

I'm seeking for the light of day

The path of the peaceful warrior

 

The sky is red under the sun

As the earth begins to rise

Like a love that never dies

 

It's the great adventure of my life and

I feel the motion everywhere

It's the great adventure of my life and

There's revolution in the air

I am striving for a better life and

I feel like I can make it here

It's the great adventure of my life and

Anything can happen here…

 

I leave behind my apprenticeship

A fancy word for nothin'

I was an intern for the mothership

A flunky for destruction

 

I'm on the path my father trod

And the answer to me lies

Maybe somewhere in his eyes

 

It's the great adventure of my life and

I feel the motion everywhere

It's the great adventure of my life and

There's revolution in the air

I am striving for a better life and

I feel like I can make it here

It's the great adventure of my life and

Anything can happen here

 

***

 

All the voices made their choices, trapped in all they see

The lunatics and politics all binding up in me

Breaking out, I'm leaving doubt and darkness far behind

I’m pushing through to something new

That's glowing in my mind

Glowing in my mind

 

***

 

It's the great adventure of my life and

I feel the motion everywhere

It's the great adventure of my life and

There's revolution in the air

It’s the great adventure of my life

It's the great adventure of my life and

Anything can happen here…

 

Okay, so just a quick note, I’m gonna be starting a series of blogposts that feature songs that remind me, in one way or another, of Adventures in Odyssey. I put in the video, why it reminds me of AIO, and the lyrics. Just thought I’d go ahead and explain that now.

 

You know what? “By Any Other Name” is a very good introduction to Bernard’s character. His dedication to his work, him wanting to teach these kids what their modern education doesn’t seem to cover, his storytelling (when he says what happened with Phillips), even Eugene is mentioned! And of course, his curmudgeonly nature is evident by the third sentence.

 

One thing I don’t like about “Cross-Check” is how it ruins “An Encounter with Mrs. Hooper.” The episode had a nice, happy ending, and the book decided, nope, she just goes right back to her old ways and makes everything worse and unwittingly helps Blackgaard buy his building.

I mean, it’s an interesting twist, but it ruins the episode for me.

 

Kinda wish Digger Digwillow had become a bit more of a regular. He had some major sass in “The Imagination Station,” and that plus his new faith (coupled with his wonderful, wonderful imagination) make him seem like such an altogether awesome character.

 

It’s so bizarre hearing Richard Maxwell’s voice, sarcasm and all, coming out of Lucy’s dad (who I’m guessing is Mr. Schultz, unless the timeline hasn’t been altered by this point).

[Edit: I just found out that, in fact, this is Mr. Cunningham. The timeline has not yet been altered as of Album #4!]

Also, I wonder if Lucy’s crazy nightmare is still considered crazy for Whit, with all that’s going on in AIO these days. I don’t know much about it myself, except for reading everybody else’s posts.

Still, the episode’s message is an important one in times like these. It doesn’t matter if everybody else in the world says it’s perfectly fine - if you believe something is wrong, you don’t go against your conscience, and you don’t go against the Bible, even if it means you have to go against a very strong flow.

 

Listening to “Bad Company” makes me want to reread “Cross-Check”. Richard Maxwell’s little sister, and all the backstory that comes with her.

Also, if this episode had happened after Daring Deeds, Sinister Schemes, Connie would definitely know better than to listen to a Bible teacher who sounds like Philip Glossman.