I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free

by Murat Suner

At the end of my personal 60pages I can’t tell what it did with me. As many of us I’m not a professional writer, but to me writing is to comb through the entirety of myself, and thus with all involved ups and downs, a constant weighing of what is worth telling, what I dare saying, going back and forth between Istanbul and Berlin, between my past and nowness, and asking myself: how free can I be by any means?

In the beginning when Georg kindly introduced me to this wonderful classroom of 60 people, he wrote about a “civilness that comes with knowing how long it will be before you get home, a feeling of freedom that might be an illusion too nice not to believe in.“ I was struck by that from the moment I read it, and it still keeps me thinking in a productive way. Also I’m deeply grateful for having the opportunity to by part of this endeavour to explore public writing – a way of journalism? – and where it might go to.

I know my posts were mostly quite long, and I could end this post here. Apologies, may be this might be the difference between writing and flaneuring?

With this in mind I would like to end with the beginning and quote my beloved musician whose life I perceive as an endless journey in search of freedom: Nina Simone singing “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free“

What you don’t read in the original lyrics is what she sang 1976 at Montreux. After the second verse which ends with „every man should be free“ she added: „cause if we ain’t we’d murder us.“ I think that’s a truth. If you like listen to it, the link is below. Farewell, and see you again. Love, Murat

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free

I wish I knew how it would feel to be free

I wish I could break all the chains holding me

I wish I could say all the things that I should say

say ’em loud, say ’em clear

for the whole round world to hear.

I wish I could share all the love that’s in my heart

remove all the bars that keep us apart

I wish you could know what it means to be me

Then you’d see and agree

that every man should be free.

I wish I could give all I’m longing to give

I wish I could live like I’m longing to live

I wish that I could do all the things that I can do

though I’m way overdue I’d be starting anew.

Well I wish I could be like a bird in the sky

how sweet it would be if I found I could fly

Oh I’d soar to the sun and look down at the sea

and I’d sing cos I’d know that

I’d know how it feels to be free

Song written by William Taylor and Richard Carrol Lamb

Performed by Nina Simone, Montreux, 1976

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dlrXCYrNYI

Nina Simone, Montreux 1976

all PICKS von Murat Suner