Climb in back, heaven's waiting on down the tracks…

Several weeks ago, after watching Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire," I was reminded to not overlook and take for granted the "little" things.

The same goes for songs, the ones that are the fabric of our lives, the ones that have been around forever.

We've all heard “Tracks of My Tears” only about a million times, but have you really listened to it?

Marv Tarplin’s delicate guitar into, Smokey’s spot-on, emotion-drenched delivery, the Miracles hitting all the right "do do do do’s," and the lyrics.

Oh, the lyrics.

Talk about economical, every word has its place

"My-smile-is-my-makeup-I-wear-since-my-breakup-with-you,” with the beat precisely on each word, is staggering every time I hear it. And it says more in 12 words than some poetry textbooks.

Dylan once called Smokey Robinson America’s greatest living poet. This song is just one of many reasons why.

Gorgeous and gut-wrenching, no other record ever encapsulated living and going through the motions amidst day-to-day heartache better than this one.

P.S. I also love Linda Ronstadt’s version too; Sneaky Pete Kleinow's steel guitar weeps, and at 2:47 as the fade begins, it's the sound of electric tears.