Sally Regrets

The final track on evolution, #12, is “Sally Regrets.” This song was recorded July 18, 2005.

Who is Sally?

Sally Hemings. [Go ahead; click the link and visit the Wikipedia article. I'll wait.]

This is the classic tale of a woman wronged–not merely by a man, but by society. Here is a slave, owned by a man who had a hand in creating the United States Government, Thomas Jefferson . . . and made into his mistress.

He wrote of deep concepts such as liberty and freedom . . . while, tragically, being too morally weak or blind to listen to his own words. Many people are quick to excuse the “great men” of history for their lapses. Now, certainly, Jefferson condemned slavery as morally wrong; but he was in debt, and, according to most apologists, wasn’t economically able to get rid of them.

Excuse me?

How much money was that, anyway? So, one’s ethics cease and desist when the bills come due? How much money do we need to owe to be excused from cheating? From adultery? From robbery? From murder? Can I rob the Salvation Army bellringer guy if I owe Blockbuster a late rental fee? Can we start committing genocide at the $300,000 level, or do we need to be in a higher tax bracket?

So this song was about Sally, and that long boat ride back from Paris in 1789. My God, what what she thinking on that trip? To voluntarily return to a living Hell, to accompany a man who would user her and deny her? The song is sad, the song is about wishing to go home — but having no real home to go to.