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When I was very little I couldn’t wait to get big
Now getting bigger is one of my frequent fears
When I was a teenager I couldn’t wait to shave
Now I shave my face and then I shave my ears
Getting old is simply getting old
It was just a bill of goods that I was sold
“Be careful what you wish for” mama frequently would scold
She never told me getting old was getting old
In my youth my parents tried to calm me down
“Can’t you just sit still” I’d hear them say
If they were still alive I know they’d be so proud
I can lie in bed nearly half of the day
Getting old is getting old
It’s a truth that I was simply never told
Undeniably logical but also kind of cold
The fact is getting old is getting old
They used to say that life begins at 40
Then 50 was a special magic year
Now 60’s the 4th quarter and I need to call timeout
That two minute warning’s getting awfully near
Getting old is simply getting old
The elderly concur of those I’ve polled
Perhaps in certain cultures its virtues are extolled
But where I live getting old is getting old
They tell me certain wines improve with age
Well the more I age the more I seem to whine
Sometimes I think that I am getting wiser
To compensate for this pernicious trend
I’m wise enough to spare my knees from yoga
It’s wiser to have coffee with a friend
Getting old .... is getting old
Bit by bit I’ve seen the truth unfold
An equation for disaster and it’s time that you were told
Getting old plus getting old is getting old
Getting old is getting old
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2. |
Did I Miss the Bus?
03:55
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Monday morning first day of school
Waiting for the bus I gotta find something to do
Tossing rocks at the telephone pole
Kicking a can through an imaginary goal
Watching ants crawl into their hole
When suddenly it occurs to me…..
Did I miss the bus has it come and gone
Was that the one I was supposed to be on
I was looking left it was on my right
Is that my bus fading out of sight
Summer jobs are hard to find
Specially when you’ve got so little time
Today I’m gonna see the Giants play
Tomorrow it’s a movie in the middle of the day
The beach a concert sailing in the bay
When suddenly it dawns on me …..
Did I miss the bus has it come and gone
A summer job was what I should’a been focused on
I was looking left it was on my right
My summer job went sailing out of sight…
Medical school what a crazy idea,
Gotta study hard or it’s sorry we’ll see ya’
So I play guitar in the dorm room hall
Learn to juggle while passing the ball
Paint a mural on the bedroom wall
When suddenly it occurs to me
Did I miss the bus has it come and gone
Was that the career path I was supposed to be on
I was looking left it was on my right
Is that my med school fading out of sight
Then for oh so many years I was good
Catching every bus that I thought I should
But I can’t say I was having fun
Always working on the run making sure it all gets done
Now I’ve figured something out I want to share with everyone
You’ve gotta miss the bus from time to time
Let it go you know it ain’t no crime
Don’t wring your hands don’t fret and fuss
‘Cause looking back the best of times I had
Was when I missed …the bus
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3. |
Through the Rain
03:21
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It was late one night in our one bedroom flat
To sounds of the street from below
I pulled out a ring from a drawer in the closet
And confessed I could not let you go
You looked in my eyes I tried reading your face
Afraid I had done something wrong
As you slipped on the ring and pools filled your eyes
You asked me what took you so long
And you said yes to the sorrow
Yes to the fear and the pain
To the endless parade of loving and losing
For a glimpse now and then of the sun through the rain
Three children we crammed in our two bedroom house
Like the family that lived in a shoe
All in one room we would tell them a story
Then crawl off to bed me and you
Now one of those kids is away in college
The oldest one lives overseas
There’ll be a hole in our home as deep as the ocean
When the youngest one finally leaves
‘Cause each one said yes to the sorrow
Yes to the fear and the pain
To the endless parade of loving and losing
For their very own glimpse of the sun through the rain
When a couple’s been waltzing for thirty some years
Feet can’t help stepping on toes
Sometimes we’re awkward sometimes we’re graceful
As we learn about how this dance goes
I’m not sayin’ that it’s always been easy
I know there’ll be troubles to face
But to me it was always the staying and the learning
That held the most beautiful grace
The way we said yes to the sorrow
Yes to the fear and the pain
To the endless parade of loving and losing
Now more and more all I see ... is sun through the rain
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4. |
Eight AM Rag
01:27
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Up in the morning get your school clothes on
Your brother needs the bathroom don’t take long
Your sister can’t find her algebra book
Is it on the toilet take a look
Your mom’s not here but don’t you worry
We’ll be fine if we just hurry
Doing the eight am rag
Hot dogs for breakfast eat ‘em quick
No more marshmallows they can make you sick
No time to eat your Captain Crunch
Put ‘em in a baggie bring ‘em for your lunch
You need clean socks there’s some in the drier
Four minutes left we’re down to the wire
Doing the eight am rag
Brush you teeth and wash your face
Comb your hair pick up the pace
Get the lead out on the double
Don’t be late or we’re in trouble
In the car let’s go to school
Hurry up and keep your cool
Put your shoes on in the car
Oh thank God we’re not that far
What is that you kids just said
It’s a teacher’s inservice day instead
Sorry let’s go back to bed
I forgot and lost my head
Doing the eight am rag
Don't tell your mom ...
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Al Haas Petaluma, California
"Al is a wonderfully entertaining performer who always draws a nice crowd."
--Ira Marlowe, owner, The Monkey House, Berkeley
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