To the tune of Swipesy, by Scott Joplin
Lyrics
This is our birthday song for Jim now
If someone loved music and he lived a really long time, tell me what would he do?
If he liked the syncopation and the LOUD and the soft, tell me what would he do?
He’d start on the piano when he was really young, then he’d take up the saxophone,
And he’d find the perfect teachers for his musical kids: Mary Jane, Pam, and Angelo.
Now if someone loved nature and he lived a really long time, tell me what would he do?
If he knew the Latin name of every bird on the wing, tell me what would he do?
He’d harvest the deadwood from a weary old forest and fill it up with trees and ponds.
On a lake he’d raise his kids to know the difference between petals, leaves, and fronds.
And if that someone should favor a particular flavor, tell me what me what would he eat?
His snacks and beverage and meat, I want to know exactly what he’d always eat.
Would he start the day with oatmeal or coffee, snack on chocolate or toffee,
Munch on cashews for lunch? Grill pineapple with the salmon and the ham ‘n
For dessert he would dream of Baked Alaska with ice cream.
Now the pirate who’s eighty’s learned to say, “Aye, aye, matey!” and he likes to play Civ,
Find buried treasures just to see what they would give, all alone or even with a relative.
He’s even good with throwing lawn djarts and Frisbee playing crossword and Tisby
Fictionary is okay. No dictionary but it’s scary so be wary ‘cause he knows every name,
And every game’s the same!
Now if he married the Bonnie lass way back in the 60’s that’d be 56 years ago.
That was the age of Davy Crockett on the Texas frontier and the Battle of the Alamo.
And from the pictures you’d think the world was all black and white
But I heard that it wasn’t so—It’s been eighty vivid years and yet he’s still going strong, with many more years to go!
Words by Troy Thompson, 3 February 2022
6 responses to “My Father-in-Law’s Eightieth Birthday Song”
What fun! I look forward to every entry.
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your
point. You clearly know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just
posting videos to your weblog when you could be giving us something informative to read?
Thank you. I just got my website up last week, with my son’s help, and we had to start somewhere for content. Going forward I intend to join with my readers in constructing moving pictures of the mind using words, not video.
Over the last 18 months, the time it took to construct this first fantasy novel, I invented a wise mentor, Solly, an honorable consultant, an alter ego whom I do not want to disappoint. I have transcribed our previous dialogues.
The two of us have a peculiar understanding: Solly stays patient with me, and I don’t return to Solly for more insight on the writing journey until I have accomplished whatever we last discussed. Now that I have sent my very first query to an agent—and how I hope she doesn’t discard it outright for issues of genre—I feel the freedom to speak with Solly once more, shoulders back and chin straight. This time, if he permits it, I will post our dialogues. Then I hope you will find enjoyable content worthy of your time.
TAT
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