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My Gen X Playlist: Grey Victory – 10,000 Maniacs

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Daily writing prompt
What are you most worried about for the future?
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I started getting a few grey hairs in junior high school. That was odd. I have dark hair, so those few strands stuck out. They tended to grow in small patches. Not a lot, mind you, just here and there. I’d ask my mom to pluck them. She’d search my head and pull them out from time to time. It must have looked like a mama monkey searching through her baby’s head.

I continued to have them in high school. In college, I began to cut my hair short, so I don’t remember if it was much of a visible problem then or after graduation. I’m surprised that now I’m in my fifties, I only have a few streaks of grey. I have a lot less grey than most of my friends. That’s funny given I started in my teenage years. I hope I’m not jinxing myself by saying this. Or maybe we are allotted a finite amount of grey and I just spread mine out throughout my lifetime. Who knows.

We never understood the cause of my premature grey in my teen years. When I read the prompt, I wondered if it could have been caused by stress. Look what I found.

A new study shows that stress really can give you gray hair. Researchers found that the body’s fight-or-flight response plays a key role in turning hair gray. Your hair color is determined by pigment-producing cells called melanocytes.

– newsinhealth

Was I such a stressed out kid? Sure, I worried a bit, but not enough to change my hair color. I’ve had far more stress as an adult. Based upon the study’s findings, you’d think I should have an entire head of grey.

I never think about grey hair these days. Maybe because I’m of the age when it’s not out of the ordinary. I’m also no longer a self-conscious teen. Funny how some worries drop off your list as you get older. They no longer are worth the time of day and you stop giving a shit. There are always bigger fish to fry. One day I want to become the old guy that doesn’t give two shits about anything. The only problem with these guys is they don’t have a filter and you never know what’s going to come out of their mouths – some pretty cringeworthy stuff. But then again, when I’m at that age, why should I care?

I had difficulty finding a song today. With limited choices to choose from, I’m pulling out Grey Victory from the archives. This is early 10,000 Maniacs and it wouldn’t surprise me if many haven’t heard of it. I doubt it got any airplay on the radio. And 50Happens, yes – yet another song about a bomb. There were too many of these in the 80’s. A sign of the times, I guess. But if your going to go grey worrying about something, this would be it.

This is one of my all time favourite songs, it’s gorgeous yet has such horrific lyrical content, it is this juxtaposition which give this song such incredible emotive power.

– YouTube comment from patricksmith4424

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

There was light and atomic fission 
Swelling wind 
Rising ash 
Tide of black rain 
Cement seared shadow traces 
Reminiscent of their last commands 

Instantly one thousand flames arising 
Ill scent the burning hides surrounding 
A settlement debased entirely 
Enola gay had made a casual delivery 

Please build a future, darling 
With our bomb 
Cherish and love it 
For the sake of 
Earth bound kingdom come 

The undersides of fallen metal trusses 
Evil debris of human bodies 
Each window's glass shards pelted 
Secure confines 
Brittle collapse 

Neighbors lay beside 
Each other unknowing 
Faces scorched of all familiar bearing 
Too few hands 
Many wounds for closing 
Marred by 
Thirsting 
Anguish 
Fear lamenting 

Here we stand 
At the door to gold atomic age 
Don't spoil your face with worry 
Trust in 
Earth bound kingdom come

15 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Grey Victory – 10,000 Maniacs”

  1. I can totally relate! My best friend noticed my first grey hair in grade 9! We both screamed n took off for bathroom in the middle of science class. She pulled it out. But there were more to come, gradually over the years. Now I’m 47 and have been dyeing my hair for so long, I’m not sure, but I think it would all be grey now. I will colour it til the day I die. Men look good, distinguished, with grey or white hair. And some women do too, but it’ll never be me.
    I was not a worrier either, my dad’s sister also went grey very prematurely so I think it might be hereditary?!

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  2. Oh wow, it’s not just a passing reference to the bomb. It’s so graphic! (I guess this song was on the album before “In My Tribe” b/c I don’t remember it.) It puts things in perspective to remember how the threat of nuclear war sort of hung over the 80s like a dark cloud — and yet we managed to ignore it most of the time and have a lot of fun!

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  3. I’ve gone grey and recovered from it three times. Stress was involved. Now, at 61, I’m likely going grey for the final time. My hair is still mostly brown. Last year, because I was still working outside, it had streaks of blond. I was asked more than once if I colored my hair (streaked it).

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  5. Grey hair can also be inherited from mom or dad side. I inherited grey hair from my dad. People inherit wealth from their parents, and I as a sucker inherit grey hair only! 😭
    I keep dyeing my hair but I think I’m gonna let it be when I turn 50…maybe. 🤔

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  7. Steve Martin is the most famous person I know who turned gray early in life, and he had a successful career. There is a documentary on Apple TV about his life. Very good!
    I’m glad you’re not worried about your gray hair anymore. I think once you reach a certain age, it makes you look distinguished. 😉

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    1. I grew up watching Steve Martin. If I recall correctly, you also are a fan of The Three Amigos! I used to get a lot of chiding for liking that movie, but I didn’t care. It was pretty damn funny. I’ll have to look for that documentary!

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