Monday, March 14, 2011

Post #5 I am a Garwood Senior song April 2011

A tribute to Garwood Seniors from the Garwood Senior’s Club:

This was a great song, rousing. I brought a bunch of kazoos from the dollar store and passed them out. Odd but not many seniors knew how to Kazoo. One senior asked if this instrument was teh same as tissue paper over a comb. Yes it is, and that brought back memories from when i was in kindergarten. We made them.

Oh! I Am a Garwood Senior
Sung to the tune of “McNamara’s Band” (me name is mcnamara, I’m the leader of the band)-music by O’Connor & Stanford

Lyrics by Bruce Paterson, Garwood, NJ 3/20/11


Oh,
I am a Garwood Senior; I’ve been living here since when
Ol’ Harry T was president and maybe before then.
Our house cost 7 thousand and our taxes half a grand
I know those were the good ol’ days we thought it'd never end.

(Chorus)………
OH!
The Thatcher smoked, Aeolian broke, and Center Street was flat
The Oakland house, a nickel beer, we need no more than that.
Our telephone line was called Sunset 9, your neighbors called to chat.
North Avenue, on a Saturday, you heard the baseball bat.


Our kids went off to Franklin School or Washington to learn,
Or Viet Nam if older then, the communists must burn.
Monsignor Walsh’s model T, the handle he did crank
Bud Leonard held the judges bench and troubled kids he spanked.

(Kazoo and Harmonica interlude).........
(Chorus)………
OH!
The Thatcher smoked, Aeolian broke, and Center Street was flat
The Oakland house, a nickel beer, we need no more than that.
Our telephone line was called Sunset 9, your neighbors called to chat.
North Avenue, on a Saturday, you heard the baseball bat.


We're in the year two thousands and we're happy in our prime.
The things that cost a dollar, well they used to cost a dime
And we meet each second thursday at the Garwood Seniors Club
And talk about how Garwood was the great industrial hub.

(Chorus)………
OH!
The Thatcher smoked, Aeolian broke, and Center Street was flat
The Oakland house, a nickel beer, we need no more than that.
Our telephone line was called Sunset 9, your neighbors called to chat.
North Avenue, on a Saturday, you heard the baseball bat.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Post #4 Beautiful Garwood Song March 2011

A tribute to Garwood from the Garwood Senior’s Club:

Beautiful Garwood
Sung to the tune of “Beautiful Dreamer” (Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me)-music by Stephen Foster
Lyrics by Bruce Paterson, Garwood, NJ 3/10/11

Beautiful Garwood,
Small Town, Big Heart.
You’re always on my mind when we’re apart.

Travels may take me
To places somewhere.
T’Our humble boro they just can’t compare.

(Dame Henrietta- Soloist)…………

Tucked between Cranford
And Westfield nearby
Our fondness for Garwood brings tears to our eye

(All together again)…….
Beautiful Garwood
Green trees surround
People like you and I grace this great town…(repeat last line)…
People like you and I grace this great town.

Post #3 The DPW March February 2011

Background: the winter of 2010/2011 was one on the worst in recent history, something like total of 10 feet of snow fell in around 7 snow falls. The DPW was there everytime and did a great job, really! It was only fitting to have the seniors sing a song of tribute. We invited the DPW crew to attend the seniors meeting thursday 2/24/11, 5 men showed up and the club, along with the new Mayor who dropped by, sang our hearts out.

A singing tribute to the DPW boys from the Garwood Senior’s Club:

The DPW March

Sung to the tune of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord)
Lyrics by Bruce Paterson, Garwood, NJ 2/12/11


Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the plow.
They have pushed away the snowdrifts, made the streets quite clear somehow.
Oh! I can back my car out, and go food-shopping right now
We have those boys to thank!

Glory! Glory! D. P. W.
Thanks to Fred and Jeff’s hard working crew
Bills, Pete, Lenny, Glen and Richie too.
Give Thanks for all they do.

(2nd verse)

(*Just Patsy sings) The underpass at Center Street, one icy mess that night
(*Bruce sings) The Public Works showed up in force and cleaned that icy site.
(*Hank sings) And Mother Nature cowers back from their united might.
(*ALL sing) We have those boys to thank!

Glory! Glory! D. P. W.
Thanks to Fred and Jeff’s hard working crew
Bills, Pete, Lenny, Glen and Richie too.
Give Thanks for all they do.

Post #2 The American Geriatric Anthem January 2011

Background: I belong to the Garwood Seniors Club, (how about that). It came about during one year that the club dropped the age criteria to join from 62 to 55 yo. I, along with ex-Mayor McCarthy, joined. They hoped to get younger members but only got 2 since everyone in our age bracket still works and the meetings take place at noon. The next year they raised it back to 62, but Dennis and I are "grandfathered in" (pun intended). In last November's seniors mtg Hank, a gentleman of 93, suggested that at the end of the business meeting we have a morale boosting session where someone either tells jokes, a story, show and tell, whatever. Hank proceeded to tell an off color joke and got the laughs. For the January GW Seniors meeting I came up with a parody song called "The Amercian Geriatric Anthem". I wrote the lyrics to the music of "America, The Beautiful". I handed out the songsheets and Patsy, Hank and myslef led the seniors in singing it, accompanied by the harmonica played by Gene. We all had a great time singing it, and some said they are mailing the song to their friends out of state so it's going national. Herewith the song for you to sing:

The American Geriatric Anthem
Sung to the tune of the “America The Beautiful” (Oh Beautiful, for spacious skies)
Words by Bruce Paterson Garwood, NJ 12/29/10


We’re beautiful
With spacious thighs
Our amber waves turned gray.
For purple bruises everywhere
Above the aches and pains

Cholesterol,
High blood pressure
Hope Lipitor can cure
Found cataracts in both the eyes
We’re growing old for sure.


(2nd verse)

We’re beautiful
And age old wise
All cures found in a pill

Our walkers shine with chrome divine
We move around at will

Oh Medicare
will pay our share!
Our grandkids call each week
And everyday we exercise.
Retired life is sweet!


(PS: of course we will all know what this song is about, sooner than we think).

Post #1 Inception

BE PREPARED TO SING!