Life with Max: Listening to Old Songs

quote found at http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2062

   A couple of months ago, i bought a new CD of songs by the group America.  It's still in my car CD player. (i've always tended to leave records or discs on like forever.)
  Anyway, Max and i had a conversation
about it yesterday while waiting at the pharmacy drive-through.
     Me:    Max, is this song about 1) the singer's girlfriend, 2) his mom, 3) his sister?
     Max:  His mom.

Very interesting.

  In college, i'd thought girlfriend, but reading about the song since having bought this disc, i learned that the musicians WERE thinking about their yellow-haired moms when writing & performing.
  Though most of their public, like me, thought girlfriend/fiancee.
  At the bottom of this post, i've shared some links i read.  It seems most of the comments had ideas about the narrator jilting his fiancee at their wedding: she's a NUN, and that's why it's "goldenhair surprise;: the girlfriend insists he come to church to see him on a Sunday.
  Well, why not?  i did, with MyGuy.  This is part of making sure your intended is able to be part of the life you're going to live, and i was offended by the commenter who automatically assumed that she goes to church = she's a hypocrite.  (different matter from not living up to how you want to be.)

The Mom Connection

  Actually, though, that makes sense. 

• "Well, I tried to make it Sunday. .  "  It's kinda hard not to think "church" here, it being so entwined with Sunday.
• "So I set my sights on Monday. . . " Like a jilted bride would let things go back to as it's always been the very next day...
• "I've been much too hard to find." yeah.  Pre-internet, trying to keep up with a son on tour. . . 
• "Love me just a little, just enough to show you care."  Don't smother me; leave me some breathing space.
• "... meet me in the air. . ."  So what's this?  an airplane? Maybe a reference to the Rapture, but, well, i guess these guys never intended to have a clearly defined meaning.  They're in it for the music.

Yeah, i can totally see this interpretation.

Back to the Conversation

  We had time for one more question before it was our turn.
      Me:    So, what does he tell us about his mom here?  1) the color of her fingernails, 2) the color of her favorite dress, or 3) the color of her hair.
      Max:  Her hair.
  Basic comprehension questions, squeezed into a spare moment.

Want to learn more about comprehension questions?
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/genia-connell/guided-reading-prompts-and-questions-improve-comprehension/
https://thisreadingmama.com/tuesdays-teaching-tip-3/
https://www.teachervision.com/reading-comprehension/questions-during-after-reading
Some links i've found useful/fun/informative about the song:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Golden_Hair
http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/7220/
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2062