Happy Thursday to you, and
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone …
Because everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day/
I guess that is true, but if it is, why do I have mainly bad memories of this day?
I remember in the old days, this holiday was a really fun day when I was a kid.
In school, we drew leprechauns and pots of gold, and we looked for four-leaf clovers in the grass and gave each other cards to celebrate the day.
Because everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day/
I guess that is true, but if it is, why do I have mainly bad memories of this day?
I remember in the old days, this holiday was a really fun day when I was a kid.
In school, we drew leprechauns and pots of gold, and we looked for four-leaf clovers in the grass and gave each other cards to celebrate the day.
On TV, the leprechaun in the “Lucky Charms”
commercials stood out as we ate that cereal on the holiday ... I mean, that was HIS day, wasn't it?
But as I got older, I saw the bad side of the holiday a bit clearer.
My father, the cab driver of 50 years' standing, always told me that this was the absolute worst day of work for him during the year.
He picked up lots of drunk people who often spit up in or on the cab, you could not get through the streets because of the parade, and it was just a mess to drive the streets of Manhattan and the other boroughs on this day.
If that wasn’t bad enough, then I saw the whole thing unfold myself.
When I worked in Manhattan when I was younger, I literally saw every stereotype you could see about this holiday unfold before my eyes.
First, going into Manhattan from Long Island was a bit scary, as people were openly drinking from the moment they got on the Long Island Railroad train to get to work in the morning through all times of the evening.
And if one didn’t have a drink on their person, they could easily get one from just about any conductor, who were also drinking their pants off while on duty … and let’s not forget the drinking and smoking cars at the time, which happily furnished anyone who wanted a drink with one.
And when I got off the railroad at Penn Station I would then walk to work, and along with all the usual winos and drunks and other dregs you would normally see laying on the street at that time, you would also see others with open cans of beer, tanking up before even getting to their workplace.
And then the parade … sorry to say that such a joyous celebration of New York’s Irish community was laden with lots of problems, too much drinking, and too much of too much, if you get what I mean.
I know I have told this story many times but I am going to tell it again.
I worked right off Fifth Avenue at the time, at a building and at an address that no longer exists, 14 West 40th Street, in the shadow of the New York Public Library.
I had gone to lunch, and barely escaped back to my building, as the parade was dispersing, and I was offered every substance known to man as I went to lunch and came back to the building from lunch.
I just got into the building, and as the door closed behind me, a young girl who was probably my age—early 20s—pushed open the door, fell to the ground in our hallway, and proceeded to throw up her guts as she lay on the floor.
I have never seen a sadder thing in my life, and finally, and fortuitously for me, the elevator finally came, and took me to where I had to go.
I am sure I must have told someone in my office about this, and I am sure the building maintenance people were also alerted, because when I left work a few hours later, the hallway was pretty much cleaned up, although there was still a stench of vomit in the hallway.
And that was the very day my father came home from work and told us that someone literally flung themselves at the front of his cab while he was navigating the streets, drunk as a skunk and not knowing what they were doing.
Yes, those things happened literally 40 years ago, and I know that there was a point in time that New York City recognized how out of hand things were getting on this day, and clamped down on the rowdiness that this day regularly produced.
Things are much better now, people are more responsible, and after COVID canceled the parade in recent times, you just know that this year’s parade and celebration will be the best ever, or at least in our minds it will be after not having the parade due to the pandemic.
Say what you want to about what I described here, but I am having trouble getting those images out of my mind, and since it is tough relying on my childhood memories about the holiday, which are even farther back in my rear view mirror, I am still very leery of St Patrick’s Day, and will always be so.
Those images are just too stark to forget.
But you know what?
When I hear the song “The Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers on the radio today, it kind of brings me to a fork in the road for the holiday—do I take the side that leads me to the oblivion I just described to you, or do I take the side that leads me to the fun of the day and the pride in our Irish citizens that we have when we celebrate this day?
I would prefer to take the latter, because that is what St. Patrick’s Day truly should stand for.
Have a great St. Patrick’s Day, have fun, but please, watch how much celebrating you do.
I mean, the holiday comes just once a year, and you don’t want to spoil it …
"A long time ago, when the earth was still green
And there were more kinds of animals than you've ever seen
They'd run around free while the earth was being born
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn
There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
The loveliest of all was the unicorn
Now god seen some sinnin' and it gave him pain
And he says, "stand back, I'm going to make it rain"
He says, "hey, brother Noah, I'll tell you what to do
Build me a floating zoo"
And take some of them green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
Don't you forget my unicorn"
Old Noah was there to answer the call
He finished up making the ark just as the rain started fallin'
He marched in the animals two by two
And he called out as they went through
"Hey, Lord"
I've got your green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I'm so forlorn
I just can't see no unicorn"
Then Noah looked out through the driving rain
Them unicorns was hiding, playing silly games
Kicking and splashing while the rain was pouring
Oh, them silly unicorns
There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Noah cried, "close the doors 'cause the rain is pourin'
And we just can't wait for no unicorns"
The ark started movin', it drifted with the tide
Them unicorns looked up from the rock and they cried
And the waters came down and sort of floated them away
And that's why you'll never see a unicorn, to this very day
You'll see green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
You're never gonna see no unicorn."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfhZ4rw6R4g
But as I got older, I saw the bad side of the holiday a bit clearer.
My father, the cab driver of 50 years' standing, always told me that this was the absolute worst day of work for him during the year.
He picked up lots of drunk people who often spit up in or on the cab, you could not get through the streets because of the parade, and it was just a mess to drive the streets of Manhattan and the other boroughs on this day.
If that wasn’t bad enough, then I saw the whole thing unfold myself.
When I worked in Manhattan when I was younger, I literally saw every stereotype you could see about this holiday unfold before my eyes.
First, going into Manhattan from Long Island was a bit scary, as people were openly drinking from the moment they got on the Long Island Railroad train to get to work in the morning through all times of the evening.
And if one didn’t have a drink on their person, they could easily get one from just about any conductor, who were also drinking their pants off while on duty … and let’s not forget the drinking and smoking cars at the time, which happily furnished anyone who wanted a drink with one.
And when I got off the railroad at Penn Station I would then walk to work, and along with all the usual winos and drunks and other dregs you would normally see laying on the street at that time, you would also see others with open cans of beer, tanking up before even getting to their workplace.
And then the parade … sorry to say that such a joyous celebration of New York’s Irish community was laden with lots of problems, too much drinking, and too much of too much, if you get what I mean.
I know I have told this story many times but I am going to tell it again.
I worked right off Fifth Avenue at the time, at a building and at an address that no longer exists, 14 West 40th Street, in the shadow of the New York Public Library.
I had gone to lunch, and barely escaped back to my building, as the parade was dispersing, and I was offered every substance known to man as I went to lunch and came back to the building from lunch.
I just got into the building, and as the door closed behind me, a young girl who was probably my age—early 20s—pushed open the door, fell to the ground in our hallway, and proceeded to throw up her guts as she lay on the floor.
I have never seen a sadder thing in my life, and finally, and fortuitously for me, the elevator finally came, and took me to where I had to go.
I am sure I must have told someone in my office about this, and I am sure the building maintenance people were also alerted, because when I left work a few hours later, the hallway was pretty much cleaned up, although there was still a stench of vomit in the hallway.
And that was the very day my father came home from work and told us that someone literally flung themselves at the front of his cab while he was navigating the streets, drunk as a skunk and not knowing what they were doing.
Yes, those things happened literally 40 years ago, and I know that there was a point in time that New York City recognized how out of hand things were getting on this day, and clamped down on the rowdiness that this day regularly produced.
Things are much better now, people are more responsible, and after COVID canceled the parade in recent times, you just know that this year’s parade and celebration will be the best ever, or at least in our minds it will be after not having the parade due to the pandemic.
Say what you want to about what I described here, but I am having trouble getting those images out of my mind, and since it is tough relying on my childhood memories about the holiday, which are even farther back in my rear view mirror, I am still very leery of St Patrick’s Day, and will always be so.
Those images are just too stark to forget.
But you know what?
When I hear the song “The Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers on the radio today, it kind of brings me to a fork in the road for the holiday—do I take the side that leads me to the oblivion I just described to you, or do I take the side that leads me to the fun of the day and the pride in our Irish citizens that we have when we celebrate this day?
I would prefer to take the latter, because that is what St. Patrick’s Day truly should stand for.
Have a great St. Patrick’s Day, have fun, but please, watch how much celebrating you do.
I mean, the holiday comes just once a year, and you don’t want to spoil it …
"A long time ago, when the earth was still green
And there were more kinds of animals than you've ever seen
They'd run around free while the earth was being born
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn
There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
The loveliest of all was the unicorn
Now god seen some sinnin' and it gave him pain
And he says, "stand back, I'm going to make it rain"
He says, "hey, brother Noah, I'll tell you what to do
Build me a floating zoo"
And take some of them green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
Don't you forget my unicorn"
Old Noah was there to answer the call
He finished up making the ark just as the rain started fallin'
He marched in the animals two by two
And he called out as they went through
"Hey, Lord"
I've got your green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I'm so forlorn
I just can't see no unicorn"
Then Noah looked out through the driving rain
Them unicorns was hiding, playing silly games
Kicking and splashing while the rain was pouring
Oh, them silly unicorns
There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Noah cried, "close the doors 'cause the rain is pourin'
And we just can't wait for no unicorns"
The ark started movin', it drifted with the tide
Them unicorns looked up from the rock and they cried
And the waters came down and sort of floated them away
And that's why you'll never see a unicorn, to this very day
You'll see green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
You're never gonna see no unicorn."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfhZ4rw6R4g
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.