The suggestion is often made that I should “add ‘that’, as a new verse to the song…” with “the song” of course being Ballad of Lucky Dog, and “that” being some recent mishap or near death experience.
It is, in a way, very heartening to feel that I have written (at least!) one song that people remember, and I am always a little flattered when the suggestion gets made; however I have always resisted the inclination to return and revise or add. There are a number of reasons for this.
One : Don’t meddle with something that not broken.
Two: Although my life does indeed continue to have incident and injury, the level of risk (whether through increased care, experience, or better judgement) has somewhat diminished.
Few of my more recent escapades have actually been life threatening. (Possibly the cake drop, but that was not a danger from the cake, per se).
Just to biefly recap the ballad:
Fell of cliff, fell through roof after being struck by falling timber, run over by car, tumbled down (37)stone stairs, mains electrocuted (twice), hair on fire, narrowly missed by falling chimmney – the falling tree is artistic licence, and the laser beam was not really that dangerous.
This is probably a smaller list than most people would imagine, though there have surely been many “lesser” occurances, but I do not deign to dignify “a bad bash,” or ” a nasty scrape” with a verse, though I’ll probably complain here…
As I approach the end of my sixth decade, physical limitations tend to restrict my ability to reach truly perilous spots, while a keenly honed sense of danger, leads me to move the steps rather than lean that little bit further out.
Of course time also bings in share of trauma, but, “Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome” is not life threatening (not bloody life enhancing either though) , and moreover is very challenging to fit to music. Stroke, is indeed a real killer, but a hard one to make light of , even if it’s myself I’m mocking;
[To the tune of Ballad of Lucky Dog]
“I lived a disoloute life style, and so I had a stroke,
and now my daily medicine is quite bespoke…
with statins and clopidogril and iron tablets too,
and yellow brown and white pills, it could happen to you.
Well maybe you are thinking I made a complete recovery, just remember I was lucky, it could be you too some day…”
It’s been four years. I got very lucky, so this is my annual admonition to you all to take care of ourselves, and remember to get checked out after that funny turn/dizzy spell/I felt a bit faint.
Better safe than sorry, and believe me, you don’t want to have to find a rhyme for Benzoflumathiaide.
Next week on IaDL: How can it be August already?
Dalmallyfest the Asylum 