Do They Still Play The Blues In Chicago?

By the shores of old Lake Michigan
Where the "hawk wind" blows so cold
An old Cub fan lay dying
In his midnight hour that tolled
Round his bed, his friends had all gathered
They knew his time was short
And on his head they put a bright blue cap
From his all-time favorite sport
He told them, "It's late and its getting dark in here,
And I know it's time to go
But before I leave the line-up
Boys, there's just one thing I'd like to know!"

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around?
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground?
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

He told his friends, "You know the law of averages says
Anything will happen that can."
(That's what it says.)
"But the last time the Cubs won a National League pennant
Was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan"

The Cubs made me a criminal
Sent me down a wayward path
They stole my youth from me
(that's the truth)
I'd forsaken my teachers
To go sit in the bleachers
In flagrant truancy

And then one thing led to another
and soon I'd discovered alcohol, gambling, dope
football, hockey, lacrosse, tennis!
But what do you expect, when you raise up
a young boy's hopes,
and then just crush 'em like so many paper beer cups?
Year after year after year
after year, after year, after year, after year, after year
'Til those hopes are just so much popcorn
for the pigeons beneath "the EL" tracks to eat?

He said "You know I'll never see Wrigley Field, anymore
before my eternal rest
So if you have your pencils and your score cards ready,
I'll read you my last request"
He said, "Give me a double header funeral in Wrigley Field
On some sunny weekend day (no lights)
Have the organ play the National Anthem
and then a little 'na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye'
Make six bullpen pitchers carry my coffin
and six ground keepers clear my path
Have the umpires bark me out at every base
In all their holy wrath
Its a beautiful day for a funeral
Hey Ernie, let's play two!
Somebody go get Jack Brickhouse to come back,
and conduct just one more interview
Have the Cubbies run right out into the middle of the field,
Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly
Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt
And I'll be ready to die!

Build a big fire on home plate out of your Louisville Slugger baseball bats,
And toss my coffin in
Let my ashes blow in a beautiful snow
From the prevailing 30 mile an hour south west wind
When my last remains go flying over the left field wall
I'll bid the bleacher bums adieu
And I will come to my final resting place, out on Waveland Avenue"

The dying man's friends told him to cut it out
They said stop it, that's an awful shame
He whispered, "Don't Cry,
we'll meet by and by
near the Heavenly Hall of Fame"
He said, "I've got season's tickets to watch the Angels now,
So its just what I'm going to do"
He said, "but you the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs,
So it's me that feels sorry for you!"

And he said, "Ahh play, play that lonesome losers tune,
That's the one I like the best"
And he closed his eyes, and slipped away
What we got is the Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
And here it is:

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around?
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground?
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League.

---from Steve Goodman's Affordable Art album.

(Oh well....there's always the Bears and the NFL)

"Lord Muttonhead III" wrote in message
...
Do They Still Play The Blues In Chicago?

By the shores of old Lake Michigan
Where the "hawk wind" blows so cold
An old Cub fan lay dying
In his midnight hour that tolled
Round his bed, his friends had all gathered
They knew his time was short
And on his head they put a bright blue cap
From his all-time favorite sport
He told them, "It's late and its getting dark in here,
And I know it's time to go
But before I leave the line-up
Boys, there's just one thing I'd like to know!"

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around?
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground?
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

He told his friends, "You know the law of averages says
Anything will happen that can."
(That's what it says.)
"But the last time the Cubs won a National League pennant
Was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan"

The Cubs made me a criminal
Sent me down a wayward path
They stole my youth from me
(that's the truth)
I'd forsaken my teachers
To go sit in the bleachers
In flagrant truancy

And then one thing led to another
and soon I'd discovered alcohol, gambling, dope
football, hockey, lacrosse, tennis!
But what do you expect, when you raise up
a young boy's hopes,
and then just crush 'em like so many paper beer cups?
Year after year after year
after year, after year, after year, after year, after year
'Til those hopes are just so much popcorn
for the pigeons beneath "the EL" tracks to eat?

He said "You know I'll never see Wrigley Field, anymore
before my eternal rest
So if you have your pencils and your score cards ready,
I'll read you my last request"
He said, "Give me a double header funeral in Wrigley Field
On some sunny weekend day (no lights)
Have the organ play the National Anthem
and then a little 'na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye'
Make six bullpen pitchers carry my coffin
and six ground keepers clear my path
Have the umpires bark me out at every base
In all their holy wrath
Its a beautiful day for a funeral
Hey Ernie, let's play two!
Somebody go get Jack Brickhouse to come back,
and conduct just one more interview
Have the Cubbies run right out into the middle of the field,
Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly
Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt
And I'll be ready to die!

Build a big fire on home plate out of your Louisville Slugger baseball
bats,
And toss my coffin in
Let my ashes blow in a beautiful snow
From the prevailing 30 mile an hour south west wind
When my last remains go flying over the left field wall
I'll bid the bleacher bums adieu
And I will come to my final resting place, out on Waveland Avenue"

The dying man's friends told him to cut it out
They said stop it, that's an awful shame
He whispered, "Don't Cry,
we'll meet by and by
near the Heavenly Hall of Fame"
He said, "I've got season's tickets to watch the Angels now,
So its just what I'm going to do"
He said, "but you the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs,
So it's me that feels sorry for you!"

And he said, "Ahh play, play that lonesome losers tune,
That's the one I like the best"
And he closed his eyes, and slipped away
What we got is the Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
And here it is:

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around?
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground?
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League.

---from Steve Goodman's Affordable Art album.

(Oh well....there's always the Bears and the NFL)

"Lord Muttonhead III" wrote in message
...
Do They Still Play The Blues In Chicago?


As far as radio goes, it's more of a jazz town now. There may still be a
pretty good blues show on 750 AM, Sunday morning. I think Pervis Spann
still plays jazz and blues records late at night on WVON.

As far as baseball goes, the Cubs weren't even Chicago's best team. Which
was proven, as usual, when they lost yet another City Series to the White
Sox, this time only winning 2 games out of 6.

I tried pointing out to my Cub fan friends that 88 wins isn't great. "Oh,
but we've got the Great Dusty Baker as a manager now, not that numbskull Don
Baylor!!" I tell 'em to start lookin' through the DB list right now,
because Don Baylor won 88 games in his last full season, then the Cubbies
fired him in the next.

Let's not let the White Sox off the hook. Sure, winning 4 out 6 ain't bad,
but it wasn't good enough. The Slacker Sox knew the Cubbies were in a
crummy division, and they were obligated to win 6 out 6. Better yet, 7 out
of 6. Then thousands of Cubbie fans would have been spared this almost
unendurable postseason angst.

Well, wait 'till next year.

Frank Dresser

Thanks, I needed that

Lord Muttonhead III wrote:

Do They Still Play The Blues In Chicago?

By the shores of old Lake Michigan
Where the "hawk wind" blows so cold
An old Cub fan lay dying
In his midnight hour that tolled
Round his bed, his friends had all gathered
They knew his time was short
And on his head they put a bright blue cap
From his all-time favorite sport
He told them, "It's late and its getting dark in here,
And I know it's time to go
But before I leave the line-up
Boys, there's just one thing I'd like to know!"

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around?
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground?
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

He told his friends, "You know the law of averages says
Anything will happen that can."
(That's what it says.)
"But the last time the Cubs won a National League pennant
Was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan"

The Cubs made me a criminal
Sent me down a wayward path
They stole my youth from me
(that's the truth)
I'd forsaken my teachers
To go sit in the bleachers
In flagrant truancy

And then one thing led to another
and soon I'd discovered alcohol, gambling, dope
football, hockey, lacrosse, tennis!
But what do you expect, when you raise up
a young boy's hopes,
and then just crush 'em like so many paper beer cups?
Year after year after year
after year, after year, after year, after year, after year
'Til those hopes are just so much popcorn
for the pigeons beneath "the EL" tracks to eat?

He said "You know I'll never see Wrigley Field, anymore
before my eternal rest
So if you have your pencils and your score cards ready,
I'll read you my last request"
He said, "Give me a double header funeral in Wrigley Field
On some sunny weekend day (no lights)
Have the organ play the National Anthem
and then a little 'na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye'
Make six bullpen pitchers carry my coffin
and six ground keepers clear my path
Have the umpires bark me out at every base
In all their holy wrath
Its a beautiful day for a funeral
Hey Ernie, let's play two!
Somebody go get Jack Brickhouse to come back,
and conduct just one more interview
Have the Cubbies run right out into the middle of the field,
Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly
Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt
And I'll be ready to die!

Build a big fire on home plate out of your Louisville Slugger baseball bats,
And toss my coffin in
Let my ashes blow in a beautiful snow
From the prevailing 30 mile an hour south west wind
When my last remains go flying over the left field wall
I'll bid the bleacher bums adieu
And I will come to my final resting place, out on Waveland Avenue"

The dying man's friends told him to cut it out
They said stop it, that's an awful shame
He whispered, "Don't Cry,
we'll meet by and by
near the Heavenly Hall of Fame"
He said, "I've got season's tickets to watch the Angels now,
So its just what I'm going to do"
He said, "but you the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs,
So it's me that feels sorry for you!"

And he said, "Ahh play, play that lonesome losers tune,
That's the one I like the best"
And he closed his eyes, and slipped away
What we got is the Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
And here it is:

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around?
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground?
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League.

---from Steve Goodman's Affordable Art album.

(Oh well....there's always the Bears and the NFL)