Volume 3, Number 161
 
'There's a Jewish story everywhere'
 

Thursday-Saturday, July 23-25, 2009


Thursdays with the songs of Hal Wingard, z"l


SAN DIEGO—Here we have an eclectic group of songs, all dealing with people's effects upon each other. To hear the audio, click on the title above each song. To access Hal's overall collection, please click here.

#163 -- Smirk
#149 -- Playin' With Fire
#143 -- Better Take the Chance to Win



#163, Smirk

Some people dare to wear a silly smirk
At work as well as play.
They never laugh aloud or show a smile;
They simply smirk all day.
They act as if they thought they knew
What no one else can know,
As if they surely owned a special place
Where no one else can go.

An easy grin can win you lots of friends,
But who can stand a smirk?
That self-conceited, snotty, snooty look
Can drive the world berserk.
So join the anti-smirk campaign
By putting smirking down.
Be sure you never, ever smirk yourself –
Just always wear a frown.

(c) 2009 Estate of Hal Wingard; May 13, 1983

#149, Playin' With Fire

I plainly can see
You're playin' with me,
And, baby, I got no desire
To painfully learn
Long after the burn
The danger of playin' with fire.

But I'm not a fool.
I've learned to keep cool
By leavin' the source of the heat.
Don't care what you think,
'Cause quick as a wink
I'll act like we never did meet.

I plainly can see
You're playin' with me,
And, baby, I got no desire
To painfully learn
Long after the burn
The danger of playin' with fire.

Then after I'm gone
You'll have to go on
With no strings to pull me in tow. . .
But now let's not fight!
I'll stay one more night
Before I will finally go.

I plainly can see
You're playin' with me,
And, baby, I got no desire
To painfully learn
Long after the burn
The danger of playin' with fire.
The danger of playin' with fire.
The danger of playin' with fire.

(c) 2009 Estate of Hal Wingard; September 30, 1982


 


#143, Better Take The
Chance To Win


Life is full of potent chance
For tiny trysts and brief romance.
So, if you see a chance begin,
Better take the chance to win!

Manhattan's sky was turnin' dark
As I stumbled outa that Central Park.
My feet was tired an' my legs was sore.
I coudn' go another step more.
Then down the street I chanced to see
The glowin' white light of a film marquee.
An' 'though the film was not the best,
Still, I had a place to rest.

A ticket line was formin' fast,
With nobody aimin' for to be there last.
So, all the folks began to rush,
Surgin' in a crowded crush.
And then, by chance, in near embrace,
A pretty girl and me stood face to face.
She shared her smile and I shared mine,
Waitin' in the ticket line.

Chorus

Our smilin' led to lively chat:
Discov'rin' this, discussin' that;
An' as we talked it seemed to me
We shared a common destiny.
She bought her ticket an' turned with a smile,
Headed on in an' down the aisle,
With me in trail at slower pace,
Waitin' 'til she found a place.

Then I sat down six rows behind,
Guessin' at the thoughts runnin' through her mind.
She turned her head an' quite discreet
Motioned me to join her seat.
Our lively chat took up again--
Coulda gone on 'til who knows when!
But movie shows ain't got no heart,
'Specially when the film's gonna start.

Chorus

The film dragged on in borin' style--
The story of a war on the banks of the Nile.
An’ when the war came to an end,
Again I chatted with my friend.
She asked if I had courage still
To keep on sittin' through the double bill.
I said, for me--a rare film buff--
A single film jus' ain't enough.

Then she replied she had to go.
To her 'twas clear I'd enjoy the show.
She said she'd hope for some time when
The two of us could talk again.
She quickly stood and reached the aisle,
Turnin' as she gave me a partin' smile.
And now it seems like such a shame--
I didn't even ask her name.

Life is full of potent chance
For tiny trysts and brief romance.
So, if you see a chance begin,
Better take the chance to win!

(c) 2009 Hal Wingard; March 18, 1982; to the girl at the Carnegie Cinema, whose name I didn't ask to know


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