Safety Fork, the

As I was driving my borrowed car north from Mankato tonight, I turned off public radio’s syndication of the BBC News World Service—I couldn’t care less about Tom Cruise’s wedding. Instead of listening, I entertained myself by singing, trying to recall the lyrics and melodies of different songs. I managed The Motorcycle Song, a couple of verses of Built on a Rock, part of The Story of Lawrence Welk, and one other song.

I first saw Man of La Mancha while I was still in high school, and it has since been my favorite musical. I listened to my parents’ vinyl copy of the soundtrack so many times that—as I recall—there are a couple of places where it skips. Of course my early favorite songs were the more entertaining and accessible: the title song, Man of La Mancha, The Barber’s Song, and The Impossible Dream. But since some point when I was in college, my favorite song from the musical—and the one I remembered tonight—has been To Each His Dulcinea:

To each his Dulcinea,
that he alone can name.
To each a secret hiding place
where he can find the haunting face
to light his secret flame.

For with his Dulcinea,
beside him so to stand,
a man can do quite anything:
outfly the bird upon the wing,
hold moonlight in his hand!

But if you build your life on dreams,
it’s prudent to recall:
a man with moonlight in his hand
has nothing there at all.

There is no Dulcinea,
she’s made of flame and air.
And yet, how lovely life would seem
if every man could weave a dream
to keep him from despair.

To each his Dulcinea,
‘though she’s only flame and air.

I’m not sure why I like that song so much, but when I don’t have time to listen to the whole soundtrack, it’s always the one I make sure to hear.