Loyal, Straight, and True

                                                            

  I ain't got no soaring intellect, ain't got no Ph.D.,
  Just a heart as big as Texas, and a 19-inch TV,
  Ain't no reason you should want me, Hell, I ain't been good to you,
  But if you would love me, Darlin', I'd be loyal, straight, and true.

        I'd be loyal, straight, and true, hold my breath till I turn blue,
        I promise you my heart would never roam,
        If the world and all its riches would come tugging at my britches,  
       I'd stick to you like glue, cause I'd be loyal, straight, and true.

  I ain't got no fancy roadster, I ain't got no Cadillac,
  Just a beat up Chevy pickup with a hound dog in the back,
  Got a nasty disposition, and each year I catch the flu,
  But if you would love me, Darlin', I'd be loyal, straight, and true.

        I'd be loyal, straight, and true, hold my breath till I turn blue,
        I promise you my heart would never roam,
       If the world and all its riches would come tugging at my britches, 
        I'd stick to you like glue, cause I'd be loyal, straight, and true.

  I ain't got no three piece Gucci suit, I got no satin shirt,
  I wear Levis bought at Wal-Mart, that are mostly free of dirt,
  I can't take you out to restaurants, like some other fellas do,
  But if you would love me, Darlin', I'd be loyal straight and true.

        I'd be loyal, straight, and true, hold my breath till I turn blue,
        I promise you my heart would never roam,
        If the world and all its riches would come tugging at my britches, 
        I'd stick to you like glue, cause I'd be loyal, straight, and true.

  I ain't got a heap of money, I ain't got a chain of gold,
  And my silhouette is funny, and I'm slowly getting old,
  And I spent a long time running, but I swear those days are through,
  Cause if you would love me, Darlin', I'd be loyal, straight, and true.

        I'd be loyal, straight, and true, hold my breath till I turn blue,
        I promise you my heart would never roam,
        If the world and all its riches would come tugging at my britches, 
        I'd stick to you like glue, cause I'd be loyal, straight, and true.

  If I slipped out of the country to a busy border town,
  Where the women all make offers if you lay your money down,
  And I drank too much tequila, Dear, I know what I would do, ... (pause)
  I'd get a big tattoo that says "I'm loyal, straight, and true."

        I'd be loyal, straight, and true, hold my breath till I turn blue,
        I promise you my heart would never roam,
        If the world and all its riches would come tugging at my britches, 
        I'd stick to you like glue, cause I'd be loyal, straight, and true.

  L. Alloway

June 2017

May is behind us and, to quote Richard Rogers, “June is bustin’ out all over.”  We all know what that means.  The tedium of winter has given way to the uncertainties of May, and now, finally, June is upon us and joy is in our souls.  Rogers, one of America’s most accomplished composers, continues lyrically:

The feelin' is gettin' so intense,
That the young Virginia creepers
Hev been huggin' the bejeepers
Outa all the mornin' glories on the fence!

Yes, June is bustin’ out all over!  Or is it?   No, June is not “bustin’ out” anywhere!  June is “bursting out.”  Rogers is extolling the exuberance of youth and the rush of love.  It is an explosion of life bursting upon the springtime tapestry.  It is not any kind of "bust," and yet we understand perfectly what he means.  Rogers has taken liberties with the language to capture the flavor of coastal America when the carnival is in town.  It tickles the bejeepers out of me!

I marvel at the plasticity of language and our ability to accommodate new words and new constructions in our lexicon.  At its best, this enriches our language and enables us to put new concepts into words.  Melding the evolutionary nature of English with the influence and incorporation of world languages gives us a vibrant palette from which to speak and write.   Not every linguistic riff takes flight, but if “twerk,” “biffy” and “freemium” made it into the OED, maybe there’s hope that the current administration, whose demonstrated command of the language has been limited to twenty adjectives and no verbs, can make a lasting contribution to the language with “covfefe,’ a word that, while currently meaningless, clearly describes Presidential thinking.  Go for it, Mr. President!  In the meantime, in the spirit of twerk, biffy and freemium, enjoy our very covfefe June Poem of the Month from our Country & Western Song collection:  Loyal, Straight and True.

Ancient Eagle Press

                            Archives

  May 2017 --  A Thousand Flowers

  April 2017 -- Oboe Rap

  March 2017 - March Madness

  February 2017 -- The Cost of Doing Business

  January 2017 -- Reflection at a Winter Window

  December 2016 -- The Creation

  November 2016 -- Hemolymph Moon

  October 2016 -- Vortex

  September 2016 -- Do You?

  August 2016 -- Sailing
  July 2016 --  Mulberries
  June 2016 -- Off Tucker Point
  May 2016 -- Unforgettable
  April 2016 -- At Night She Cries

Poem of the Month

Where Old Fliers Come to Roost

Each month Ancient Eagle Press offers a poem appropriate to the season or the mood of our editorial staff.   Poems may be new or drawn from existing AEP editions.