Fixed (and Prefixed)

Fixed (and Prefixed)

© 1981 By Monty Dicksion

Written and performed by Monty Dicksion

(all instruments except drums)

Instruments:

Rhythm & lead guitars – Yamaha FG75 (quite vintage)

Bass – Gibson G3

Wooden box (which I have since learned is called a Slit Drum or Tongue Drum)

The title of this song was the result of a mistake.  I have another song, totally not like this song.  That song is finger-picked and it always made me think of baroque music, even though I don’t know enough about music to compose baroque-style music.  But I know enough about music to know that that song ain’t baroque.  So I thought, “If it ain’t Ba-roque, it must be Faw-Ixed,” and that’s what I called that song, “Faw-Ixed.”

But this song I had too, and it was just a fun little thing and I decided to take it to the studio (StudioWest, San Diego, CA).  The engineer asked me for the song’s name.  I never thought of that before!  On the spur of the moment, I got it confused with the other song.  I thought, “He’d never understand ‘Faw-Ixed,’” so I just said, “Fixed,” and he said, “… and Pre-Fixed,” I guess because it has a sort of prelude opening, a ‘Prefix.’  I liked that at the time so I said, “Yeah, OK.”  So now this song is called “Fixed – and Prefixed.”

The way that I came about making up this song was that I was trying to learn “Tired of Waiting for You,” by the Kinks.  I never did learn how to play that song, but this song came out instead.

This is such an easy song to play that it is one of the songs I always used to teach beginners just so we could play something together.  That’s why I also played it, whenever I practiced, as one of my “warm-up” songs, to get my fingers in condition to play my more difficult songs, although none of my songs are very difficult – they are just hard for me.

I didn’t make the song to be background music.  I didn’t make it to be a backdrop or soundtrack for a video.  I made it to be something to be listened to.

But in this day of YouTube videos, the only way I had of putting my song out there was to make a video.  If people are going to watch a video, they need to have something to look at.  So I needed to give something else besides the music.

The video, which I made in mid-December, 2011, is a second creative work (that is, the music was first and the video was second), a medium I’m not good at and don’t particularly care to undertake.  But something needed to be done and it had to have something to do with “Fixed and Prefixed.”  Coming up with the idea for the story was hard for me, but when the idea finally came, I was happy with the idea.

So here are some things to think about when watching the video:

Fixed:  Acts 17:26 – “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determines the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”  This is what is pictured in the frame showing the dog owner putting Fido on the ground at the “X.”

Prefixed:  Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before you were formed in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”  And Isaiah 49:1 – “Before I was born the Lord called me.”  And Psalm 139:16 – “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

The dog owner, at the beginning, is making something for Fido, with 2 special hearts for love.  The owner’s thoughts are shown in picture form.  John 14:2 – “I go to prepare a place for you.”

The Map (the Bible).  The Map shows Fido where he is.  The goal is to get Home.  This world is not Home.  We have a real Home in Heaven.  The thing to avoid is the Dog Pound (Hell).

The map tells Fido how to go through life (the green line):  Deuteronomy 5:32 – “So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left.”  And Deuteronomy 28:14 – “Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left.”  And Isaiah 30:21 – “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

Fido doesn’t follow his master’s call, but goes his own way:  Isaiah 53:6 – “We like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”  Fido is enticed and lured by the attractions of the world.  Matthew 13:22 – “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”

Fido’s strayings are a grief to his Master:  Ephesians 4:30 – “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed for the day of redemption.”

The pathways of the maze are the choices made in life.  Sometimes we are lost.  Every so often, God calls.

Finally Fido reaches the end.  There are two gates:  Matthew 7:13 & 14 – ¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

I wanted, but didn’t have time, to put in the video:  Luke 16:26 – “Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross from there to us.”

Fido makes the right choice.  His master is joyful:  Matthew 25:21 – “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Fido’s complete happiness was being with his master.