Long-forgotten Blues

The famous old market town of Diss, just north of the river Waveney and consequently in the county of Norfolk, England, is blest with several picturesque little yards tucked away behind shops fronting onto the main streets.

Particularly on a Friday, which is Market Day, you will see the “Old Boys”, like me, waiting patiently for our “Old Gal” who is occupied in making whatever purchase is necessary at that moment. Yes, in this part of the world we still use these quaint terms of endearment. Some of the more sensitive emporia provide a chair or two for us Old Boys.

A friend of mine told me a tale. He said; “I arrived home from work last night, my Old Gal (his wife of nearly forty years) said to me ‘Do you love me?’ Well, I thought about it for a minute and answered ‘No!’ ‘That’s a shame’, she said, ‘I just won the Lottery!’ He thought for another minute and said ‘I suppose I could learn!’”

Back to the Old Boys: Generally speaking, if they are in a group they look happy enough. However, you do have to allow that in East Anglia, folk do not waste energy smiling, so it can be difficult to tell. One day I saw an Old Boy, sitting patiently waiting for his Old Gal who was engrossed in selecting some materials for her hobby of making greeting cards.

In a stage whisper, for the benefit of my Old Gal and the rest of the shop I remarked, having caught his eye: “It looks like that gentleman in the corner has lost the will to live”. He suggested that he was working his way through “War and Peace” and after that, fuelled by the wacky sense of humour of most the occupants the little shop at the time, things got rather silly.

Verse 1

I’ve got the Long-forgotten Blues, the kind that’s hard to lose

I went down town the other day, I somehow wish that I’d stayed away

There before my very eye, saw him break right down and cry

“I’m begging on my knees, won’t you help me please

To lose the Long-forgotten Blues”

Verse 2

You’ll often see him sitting there, in the Old Boy’s chair

Long ago lost the will to live, forlorn and sad, just no more to give

Heard the manager confess, “This is the price of our success

We’ll have to start a husband crệche

To fight the Long-forgotten blues”

Verse 3

I was in town with my sweet gal, she said “Brace yourself, old pal

I’ve got to call in, at this yard, get some special print for a birthday card

Oh no, no, no, you can’t come in. You’re much too embarrassing!

Outside you’ll wait and just contemplate

The Long-forgotten Blues”

Verse 4

I’ve got the Long-forgotten blues, it’s really hard to choose

Shall I sit here on this bench all day, just hoping that she will look my way

Open on my knees, Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”

No library card ever worked so hard

To fight the Long-forgotten Blues”

Coda

Those God-forsaken, real heart-breaking, Long-forgotten Blues