Fatma

The episode of The Simpsons titled “’Round Springfield,” will always have me in tears. In it, Lisa is able to get Bleeding Gums Murphy’s record on the radio and the signal, which was really weak, is struck by lightning and everyone in Springfield ends up hearing the record. When the song ends, Bleeding Gums Murphy’s face appears in the clouds to say goodbye to Lisa, and then he plays the song “Jazzman” with her for the last time.

I don’t know what exactly makes me cry when I watch this episode: There’s more than one reason. In the final scene, the sky is a purple color and Lisa is standing on the hill that overlooks all of Springfield and the grainy, 1995 animation makes me so emotional. It’s like I’m longing to go back to a time that I’ve only heard about through my brother and sister. The thought of Lisa never seeing Bleeding Gums Murphy again really makes me run cold. He was someone whom she related to, and so when he’s playing music with her for the last time I want to cry. I relate to Lisa through how she regularly finds solidarity with adults rather than children, so I get how she feels.

I think what makes me the saddest, though, is the way the episode fades to black, and the credits begin to roll. I wish the episode would never end. Why is it that as soon as we find things we are happy with they’re taken from us? I probably relate to this episode so much right now because one of my closest friends has moved schools, and I’m scared that I’ll never see her again.

At least I know that during these times, when I feel like I’m living a solitary life, I can watch “’Round Springfield” and know that Lisa is feeling the same way I do. ♦