Tuesday 6 July 2010

A song for Al

Al will be 60 on Friday so here is a preview of his Birthday Song.


I NEVER TUNED THAT MANDOLIN

You came knocking at my door
In 1972
At 51 Philip Road
When the earth was young
You asked if I could refrain
From playing the Moody Blues
And I soon realised
That was a sensible thing to do
Then you asked if I
Could tune your mandolin
Tune your mandolin

Then you moved away
To Felixstowe Road
To the flat above the butcher’s
Across from the Royal Oak
Which is where you got refreshed
And someone sold you a dog
And the dog was mad
Running in circles endlessly
And so ironically
You took that dog
And sold it to a drunk in a pub

So we went our separate ways
But we kept in touch
Daughters came and went
And the one I loved so much
But we keep holding on
And though the days fly past
I still remember well
The day you asked
If I would tune that mandolin
I never tuned that mandolin
I never tuned that Mandolin
© Ian Ravenscroft 2010

4 comments:

  1. 'And the dog was mad'...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not Paul's lyrics, then...

    ReplyDelete
  3. There's more than a whiff of Pocahontas in there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jolson? Jardine? Bowlly? Big Al?

    ReplyDelete