Poetry Friday: a song by Loudon Wainwright

A feeling I think many of us shared...


HANK AND FRED
copyright 2003 by Loudon Wainwright III

On my way Thursday from the Y, I heard it in the car
Bob Edwards broke the news to me -- yes, he of NPR
Driving through Montgomery I hung my head and cried
Then I visited Hank Williams' grave the day Fred Rogers died

Zelda Sayre and Scott Fitzgerald lived somewhere in this old town
Nat King Cole was born here, Rosa Parks stayed sitting down
Black and white, death, booze and music, genius, courage, kindness, pride
Oh, I felt them all around me there the day Fred Rogers died

And we mocked King Friday XIII on Saturday Night Live
But once I started crying, it was pretty hard to drive

One New Year's day Hank slipped away, slumped over in the back
Oh, I hope he had his cardigan on in that Cadillac

When you look out from the hilltops you can see confederate graves
And the railroad runs by the river that carried cotton, soldiers, slaves
Hank's real name was Hiram, we all could feel his pain
And Fred McFeeley Rogers knew how to talk to a train

How we mocked King Friday XIII on Saturday Night Live
But once I started crying, it was pretty hard to drive

Driving through Montgomery I hung my head and cried
Then I visited Hank Williams' grave the day Fred Rogers died
I visited Hank Williams' grave when Mister Rogers died