The Soul of a Dreamer
or
Play Me a Tune, Piano Man
With this post I get to show not only some of my ‘warts of longing and wanderlust’ but an abiding romanticism that has tagged along with me through my life. The Piano Bar Is symbolic of some younger years when I was going to live forever, a time when I could play out fantasies and dramatic ‘movie scenes’ of a lonely and desperate man, a time when the amber juices made me not so lonely and desperate…when a young lady fell prey to my somber moans of despair, often leading from The Piano Bar to my hotel or motel room. My symbolism here likely matches well with many a fellow comrade seeking nebulous new beginnings. Those who might ‘wonder’ about a moral character issue, the ‘Romantic’ can quickly dispel the issue – given the time!
I’m not going to write in much detail about those nomadic days, my longings, my searching, my quaint poetry (also known as my etchings). Instead, I give you a song, a composition in my head and heart from some contemplative and mystic area of being I shall never fully comprehend. In some ways the song might remind many of Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’ song… That was never my intent to intrude on Billy’s very special material. In fact, Billy Joel’s song never entered my mind until later…besides, Billy Joel is a professional at what he does…and it’s likely okay with him if a guy wants to make a fool of himself.
The reason for my amateurish ballad piece is this: we have a beautiful house which we (my wife and I) have decorated. In our den over the fireplace mantel there is a colorful painting of a piano. As I type away on my laptop the blogs and the current book on which I’m working I constantly pause and look at that painting. At the end of the day I occasionally have one highball (usually a rum concoction of one sort or another), and, with each sip and loss of one or more brain cells, Bacchus stimulates me to sing aloud the words as I gaze at my piano painting…several times, until I feel I’ve captured the soul prompt. Here are those words
Play Me a Tune, Piano Man
Play me a tune, piano man…
Sing me a song from the years.
Play me a tune, piano man…
Bring back the joy and the tears.
Make all the words sad and lonely…
Sung whiskey tenor with heart.
Sing them all warm and embracing.
Keep the crowd rapt from the start.
Now give the keys some gaiety…
Give the crowd reason to smile.
Play ‘til the bar room is closing,
‘Last Call’, folks, for a while.
Play me a tune, piano man…
Sing me a song from the years.
Play me a tune, piano man…
Bring back the joy and the tears.
Song written and sung by: Billy Ray Chitwood – October 23, 2014
Now, if you wish to actually hear me sing the song A Capella, move the mouse on over to: https://goo.gl/FPGYH6. (You Tube)- booing and laughing are permitted since I cannot hear you hurting my tender feelings…my wife left the den when she heard the song – she never told me later that she had a need to retch…
That’s it, music lovers! Please return to your favorite pastime! (Think I’ll write another song…)
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Preview my 14 books, a few book reviews, and some comments by the author.
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The Final Curtain 