It’s the summer of 1937 Gertrude is only fourteen She and her older sister sneak out of the house And Gertrude’s eyes have that certain gleam
She’s mesmerized by the big city lights It’s something they’ve never seen They go into a club to see Benny Goodman As the big jazz band plays Sing, Sing, Sing
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Henry has just turned twenty-five He and his friends go to see Cab Calloway They dance having the time of their lives Jumping and jiving celebrating his birthday
Drinks and libations, it’s a celebration Henry and his friends are enjoying the show Cab on stage sings “hidee, hidee, hidee, hi” And everyone replies “hidee, hidee, hidee **”
It’s the fall of ‘51
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Sylvia lowers the needle on to the record Seeing Duke’s name go around and around And the piano starts with a pretty rhythm Then the band joins with a big wall of sound
The records starts with it don’t mean a thing Sylvia is dancing by herself in the living room The eighteen-year-old gives it a good swing Sylvia is dancing by herself with a broom
Spring 1946
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Roger and his friends have a free weekend They hear Glenn Miller is in the neighborhood So they take a cab to a jazz club downtown And you guessed it, they were in the mood
Inside the club Roger sees a beautiful brunette He knew he’d remember this for the rest of his life Summoning some courage he asks her to dance That was the night Roger met his wife
May 1st, 1944 A week later he went off to fight in the war
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Oh to dance To romance To take a chance and be young forever To have those moments frozen in time To have them resurface from the darkness To have them move and groove again, it’s divine…
Henry cries remembering that night Sylvia recalls dancing all alone Gertrude’s eyes gleam, lucid once again And Roger knew he’d make it back home
The nurse smiles as she plays another song The iPods are filled with a big jazz catalog Memories seems to come flooding back Temporarily lifting dementia’s fog . . . That’s the power of music