This is NOT related to the UK Bill Bailey, Comedian/Musician. It is related to a song written by Hughie Cannon in 1902. The song was made famous in later years when recorded separately by late legendary blues trumpet master Louie Armstrong, the late great American county music icon, Patsy Cline, as well as Bobby Darin and also Della Reese, (and others I'm sure). . .
I never learned the verses, and if you go to the above link, you'll see why!) but we sang the chorus in elementary school choir back in the 1960s. So much for history. Now for the present subject:
This particular satire deals with a serious subject that seems to be overshadowed by gradeur of political insanity of wartime. Yet I can recall it vividly in a dear first cousin who was killed because his drugs to manage his HIV were more important to intruders than his life.
In any event, I hope this short satire makes you think not just of prevention of a life stealer, but also help you recall your own memories of black and white saddle oxfords shoes, red balls and jacks, hopscotch, climbing neighbor's apple trees, mayonnaise sandwiches, kicking rocks, playing in the park instead of playing video games, old 1958 red Buicks that were stronger than any Mac truck ever designed, did not dent, and and the invention of the hula hoop will relate well to the satirical treatise below (smile big, all you old people, you!)
Dear friends and lifetime members of the Lonely Hearts Club:
We gather today to reflect on the life of a man we all knew as Bill. . . . Bill Bailey, to be more exact to those who knew him from one night stands.
Bill Bailey was a man's man. He left home when he chose, returned home sometimes days or weeks later. Sadly his surviving spouse--whom he never even designated with a name in his famous song--is not with us today.
The unfortunate Widow Bailey is still I hear, blaming herself for driving him out night after night, asking for little things like a hug, a birthday card, picking up his dirty drawers and emptying the trash on collection day.
Yes, this poor woman did all the cooking; even paid the rent based on the bankruptcy report that went public with poor (and we do mean poor) Bill's death. Worse than anything else, she pines away over and over in a mindless stupor, with neighbors complaining about her out-of-touch-with-reality petitions of "Won't you come home Bill Bailey? Won't you come home?"
No one can seem to get through to her that she would have done the right thing if she never took him back into her house. After putting him out for the 26th time in four years,of marriage, the widow-in-whining wonders if he would still be with her if she had not run him out of the house for being such a wandering sower of joy among countless other women. And although Bill was a showerer of machismo, he never wore a raincoat on that rainy evening his wife put him out with nothing but a fine-tooth comb.
Still, later, when Mrs. Bailey discovered her HIV test to be positive, she blamed herself for driving him out into the arms of literal sexual roulette. And as a result, Bill now lies in the grave because of his need to spread his seeds of kindness.
So the Widow Bailey seems content to carry all of the blame for her home not being the kind that bill could call his own, regardless of whether he paid rent or not, God rest his bones.
But what is done is done. And if nothing else, we all now know for certain that Bill Bailey has finally gone home to the dust from whence he came. Yes friends, Bill Bailey left a legacy of lonliness, but also will be remembered for all those he AID'ed.
Lyrics to "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" (http://ingeb.org/songs/billbaly.html)
Midi file to "Bill Bailey" tune: http://www.discoverynet.com/~ajsnead/allsongs_1/billbaly.html
© 2005 cynth'ya lewis reed
all rights reserved
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Tracey42xoox(c :)
Just curious as ussual..lol!!
Love Tinka