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
- - -
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
- - -
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
- - -
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
- - -
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
