Bowl For Two

Like many people, music is a big part of my life. I love all kinds of music; from Mozart to Marley, from Glen Campbell to Slipknot, from Miles Davis to The Real McKenzies, from… well, you get the picture. My musical tastes are wide and varied. Where once I had a huge record collection, then a huge cassette collection, then a huge CD collection, I now have a huge and eclectic Spotify playlist.

I enjoy different types of music at different times and in different situations. When I am out in my garden on a sunny afternoon, with a cold beer and a good cigar, I listen to what I call my summer songs; these can be just about anything so long as they “feel like summer”; Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Glen Campbell, Charlie Pride, The Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett, and so on and so forth. When it is game night, I just let everything play and occasionally skip songs that I, or others, are not in the mood for. When I am in my home office, relaxing in my wingback chair with a good book, it is usually smooth jazz or classical.

When I am cooking, or, as is more often the case, watching Kim cook (as I noted in previous posts, my wife is an amazing cook, and food blogger) and assisting where I can, I like Italian music or French Café music. Though, often times Kim will put on a playlist from a famous chef when she cooks, such as Anthony Bourdain or Jamie Oliver. I love this, and often find great new music to add to my playlist.

Which brings me to the topic of this post. I am always keeping an ear open for new music, or new to me music, to add to my playlist; songs I have never heard before but am instantly taken with. It could be lyrics that speak to me, or music that moves me, or just a catchy little beat or nice feel that appeals to me. This latter was the case with the song Bowl for Two by The Expendables.

I don’t recall where I first heard it but I instantly liked it. It starts out with this great acoustic guitar riff, then the drums come in. Its a nice beat, the music seems to sway, and to me it has that summer sound I really like. Then the lyrics start: “But I Said, “Oh, I, I packed this bowl for two”. So far so good. Then it continues with what I thought I heard, which was “And I, I’m gonna share it with you”. I grabbed my phone and immediately added this song to my playlist.

Sometime later, on a game night, myself, Kim, and our youngest, MacKenzie are playing cards when Bowl for Two comes on. Kenz looks at me and says “I can’t believe you have that song on your playlist”.

“Why”, I say, “What’s wrong with it”.

“Nothing”, she says, “It’s a good song. To me it just doesn’t seem like the kind of song you would have on your playlist, that’s all”. I am puzzled but I let it go. Later, when Kenz leaves the room, I quickly google the song lyrics. And, here they are:

Bowl for Two

The Expendables

But I said, “Oh, I, I packed this bowl for two”
“And I, I’m gonna wanna smoke it with you”
But I said, “Oh, I, I packed this bowl for two”
“And I, I’m gonna wanna smoke it with you

“Yes, you know it is time
For us to sit down and unwind
I know the feeling, I know the feeling
So stay with me tonight Gonna kick back, relax
Make sure the ganja’s packed
And we’ll feel all right We’re flying high now
We’re flying high now
I cannot feel the ground We’re flying high now
We’re flying high now
My world is spinning round But I said, I said,

“Oh, I, I packed this bowl for two”
“And I, I’m gonna wanna smoke it with you”
But I said, “Oh, I, I packed this bowl for two”
“And I, I’m gonna wanna smoke it with you

“So please don’t run away
When my ganja’s all gone
Promise me that you’re gonna stay
When my flight is all done There’s only one thing left to do
I got this one nug, this frosty purple nug
And it’s big enough for two But I said, I said,

“Oh, I, I packed this bowl for two”
“I, I’m gonna wanna smoke it with you”
But I said, “Oh, I, I packed this bowl for two”
“And I, I’m gonna wanna smoke it with you “We’re flying high now

We’re flying high now
I cannot feel the ground We’re flying high now
We’re flying high now
My world is spinning round But I said, I said,

“Oh, I, I packed this bowl for two”
“I, I’m gonna wanna smoke it with you”
But I said, “Oh, I, I packed this bowl for two”
“And I, I’m gonna wanna smoke it with you”

Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Bianchi Raul Alessandro / Demars George Ryan Salvatore / Patterson Adam Scott / Weers Geoffrey

I was, to say the least, a little surprised. These are not the lyrics I thought I heard. I showed them to Kim. I said “Kim, I swear to God, I thought he was singing about two people going on a picnic” (now the picture at the start of this post makes sense).

Anyway, we had a good laugh over it, and I never did tell Kenz. And, the song is still on my playlist.

Cheers!

Stephen