Paying Tribute With Tad

Paying Tribute With Tad

Featuring Tad Hargrave

Founder of MarketingforHippies.com

March 14, 2014

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Tad was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and has a deep and growing love for his home city. On March 11th, 2014, while walking home from downtown across the High Level Bridge, he found Mark Carlson standing on the other side of the rail, ready to jump. He reached out to him. But after five minutes, Mark, tragically, jumped to his death. Mark was a good man, full of love for people who loved to bring his family together. Four days later, Tad was able to join his family and friends at Mark’s funeral and share a song he’d written and tell his loved ones the story of what happened that night. In one hand, he is holding Miguelito’s Little Green Car. In his other, a candle delivered by a friend that Tad will light whenever he is with a friend who is struggling deeply so that Mark can be there to lend the solace he couldn’t find when he was alive.

Tad wrote a song for Mark. It’s called Hold On Tight in the mix below.

Here are the lyrics:

Don’t Let Go



10:30pm.

a Tuesday night before the Spring

March 11th.

2014

I saw him there

Just like you see me here

On the High Level Bridge

No one else was near

He was standing on the outside of the bridge’s guard

It’s where people go sometimes when life is hard



He said, “I’m going to hell for all the things I’ve done”

His demons had him on the run

And they’d driven him to this bridge tonight

Parked his truck under the lights



I asked, “What’s your name?”

He said, “My name is Mark.”

I said, “Sometimes, we get lost in the dark… but…”



Don’t let go

Of the ones you love

Hold on tight.

Hold on tight.

The winter’s cold, but the Spring is winning

The smell of lilac’s soon, a new beginning

Hold on tight, just little longer

Maybe tomorrow, you’ll feel stronger.



You’re on the wrong side of that fence my friend

This ain’t how it’s supposed to end.

I know you want to make it work, to make it better, to make it right

Just hang on to your railing against the night.”

Then he let go and I watch him fall

But I think he wanted me to tell you all.



Don’t let go

Of the ones you love

Hold on tight.

Hold on tight.

The winter’s cold, but the Spring is winning

The smell of lilac’s soon, a new beginning

Hold on tight, just little longer

Maybe tomorrow, you’ll feel stronger.



I won’t let go

Of that night we met

Of your last words

And I won’t forget …



That you didn’t want me to see you fall

That you wanted to say ‘I’m sorry’ to them all

That you were a good man trapped by darker skies

I could see it in your eyes



And if they ask me

What happened that night

I’ll tell the truth

“A good man lost a fight.”

The night is dark

But now I look at the stars

In between them all

That’s where I know you are



I’m not here, to tell you why

But I hope this song can help you cry

i wish it had been someone with some better words

maybe something he could have heard



I tried so hard to save your friend

But I lost him in the end

No one should go into that night alone

Someone should be there until you make it home

This world is broken through and through

And the breaking leaves its scars inside of you

So…



Don’t let go

Of the ones you love

Hold on tight.

Hold on tight.

The winter’s cold, but the Spring is winning

The smell of lilac’s soon, a new beginning

Hold on tight, just little longer

Maybe tomorrow, you’ll feel stronger.



– Tad Hargrave



Tad shared this quote:

One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own.



-John O’Donohue, Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong



Those who want to be a part of weaving a more beautiful community can follow Tad’s work at www.thelocalgood.ca.





Tad performs professional level close up magic.

He’s done improv comedy with Rapid Fire Theatre since 1992.

He founded www.streetcarshows.com in 1992.

He’s interested in the exploration of how white people can reclaim their indigeneity and has written about it at http://tadhargrave.blogspot.ca.