Last month, while cleaning my study, I had hoped to find my copy of Daphne Marlatt and Carole Itter, eds., Opening Doors: Vancouver's East End. Sound Heritage Series. Victoria, BC: Aural History Program, 1979, much of which focuses on Strathcona. But alas, like everything else I was looking for, it was nowhere to be found.

Among the many historical portraits in Opening Doors is a recollection by Jimi Hendrix's aunt, who spoke of young Jimi's frequent stays during the 1950s and 60s. If ever a literary tour of Strathcona is organized, I would hope that, along with visits to the homes of Wayson Choy, Stan Douglas, Roy Kiyooka, SKY Lee, Goh Poh Seng and Jim Wong-Chu, not to mention those in recent posts, a stop at Jimi's aunt's be added.

"Stone Free" is the first song Jimi Hendrix wrote after landing in England in 1966, where the Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded Are You Experienced? It is not my favorite Hendrix track, but one written with the exhilaration that often comes with change.

STONE FREE
(Jimi Hendrix)

Everyday in the week I'm in a different city
If I stay too long people try to pull me down
They talk about me like a dog
Talkin' about the clothes I wear
But they don't realise they're the ones who's square
Hey!
And that's why
You can't hold me down
I don't want to be down I gotta move
Hey!
Stone free do what I please
Stone free to ride the breeze
Stone free I can't stay
I got to got to got to get away
Alright
Listen to this baby
A woman here a woman there try to keep me in a plastic cage
But they don't realise it's so easy to break
But sometimes I get a ha
Feel my heart kind of runnin' hot
That's when I've got to move before I get caught
And that is why, listen to me baby, you can't hold me down
I don't want to be tied down
I gotta be free
Owh!
I said
Stone free do what I please
Stone free to ride the breeze
Stone free I can't stay
Got to got to got to get away
Yeah ow!
Tear me loose baby
Yeah!
Stone free to ride on the breeze
Stone free do what I please
Stone free I can't stay
Stone free I got to I got to get away
Stone free go on down the highway
Stone free don't try to hold me back baby
Stone free oh yeah baby
Stone free got to got to get away
Stone free goodbye baby