Before the internet,
And that Web World Wide
When far away places
Were seldom ever spied
Views of landmarks famous
Could come into view
By clicking a lever
A time or two
Pyramids, and Great Walls
And palaces grand
Were at your fingertips
As into the light you’d stand
Padre
Jim Adams has challenged us to write about a song that contains the words Chat/Laugh/Rant/Scream/Talk. I have picked a song about another challenge – the classic duel between the Red Baron and the Peanuts’ Snoopy in 1966. The Royal Guardsmen’s song was written by Phil Gernhard & Dick Holler and was released in November 1966. It tells how Charles Schultz’s comics depicted Snoopy imagining himself as a WWI fighter pilot, battling the Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen.
The song sparked all kinds of images for me as a pre-teen on its release, and I thought it would be a fun addition today.
Lyrics:
After the turn of the century
In the clear blue skies over Germany
Came a roar and a thunder men had never heard
Like the screamin’ sound of a big war bird
Up in the sky, a man in a plane
Baron von Richthofen was his name
Eighty men tried, and eighty men died
Now, they’re buried together on the countryside
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more
The Bloody Red Baron was rollin’ up the score
Eighty men died tryin’ to end that spree
Of the Bloody Red Baron of Germany
In the nick of time, a hero arose
A funny-lookin’ dog with a big black nose
He flew into the sky to seek revenge
But the Baron shot him down (Curses, foiled again!)
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more
The Bloody Red Baron was rollin’ up the score
Eighty men died tryin’ to end that spree
Of the Bloody Red Baron of Germany
Now, Snoopy had swore that he’d get that man
So he asked the Great Pumpkin for a new battle plan
He challenged the German to a real dogfight
While the Baron was laughin‘, he got him in his sight
That Bloody Red Baron was in a fix
He tried everything, but he’d run out of tricks
Snoopy fired once, and he fired twice
And that Bloody Red Baron went spinnin’ out of sight
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more
The Bloody Red Baron was rollin’ up the score
Eighty men died tryin’ to end that spree
Of the Bloody Red Baron of Germany
Well, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more
The Bloody Red Baron was rollin’ up the score
Padre
It had definitely seen better days. In fact, it was quite tired and run down, but it prized. His “new car” was a ’68 Buick LeSabre with 156,000 miles on the dial, and it was all his. Okay, the driver-side door stuck a bit, and the passenger door opened best if it had a good kick from the inside. The paintwork was pretty good though, and it was okay of gas. Water seemed to be more the issue, it took nearly as many miles to the gallon as it did in fuel. This was remedied by removing the thermostat (after the third one), and adding loads of heavy tape to the hoses. It is amazing what treasures could be had for $200 back in 1977.
Padre
Pink Palace CC BY-SA 3.0
Memphis was never really my “hometown”
Though I studied and resided there
I’d pass along its streets familiar
Magnolia and jasmine in the air
Its pyramid was brand new back then
Unlike its palace, bubblegum pink
I’d visit such sites, spotlighted for fame,
Then head for Shoney’s, ice tea to drink
I since have journeyed away so far
Like a scarecrow on a brick road yellow
Memphis memories now dimmed by time’s fog
Drifting by like Mississippi sand, in a current mellow.
Padre
Paint Chip Poetry Prompt #25 homegrown poem: using jasmine, spotlight, fog, bubblegum, pyramid, scarecrow, and sand.
Pixabay
Danny had his mind set, he wasn’t going to settle for anything less than a pair of black, high top Chuck’s. After all, we were taking about reputation here. If Danny, I mean Dan, was going to be taken seriously, a pair of PF Flyers, even with the wedge, weren’t going to cut it. And in no way was he going to be seen dead in another pair of those Zayre’s blue canvas things. It was going to be All Star’s or nothing!
Well the big day came, and Dan made a bee-line for the Sears rather than the Zayre’s and his mom could barely keep up with him. He went straight to the shoe department and grabbed a pair of the glorious Converses from the shelf, and then sat on the padded stool and stuck his foot in the measuring device.
Mom looked on dumbfounded as Dan asked the saleswoman, “Do you have these in 8 1/2 wides?”
As the woman went into the storeroom, his mother said, ” Danny Jackson, have you gone out of your mind?”
“No Ma’am, I just have my mind made up.””
“But honey did you see the price? How about some PF Flyers instead?” she offered.
“I got straight A-s just like you and Dad said. So I’ve kept my side of the bargain,” he said assuredly.
“I just don’t think we can afford it,” she said pleadingly.
“Then make it my birthday present as well,” he said. “I have to have them, Mom.”
“Could you live with the low tops?” Mom asked gently, as the saleswoman returned.
“I suppose so,” Dan relented.
“I’m sorry, but could we get them in low tops?” Mom asked.
The woman again departed.
“Thank you,” Mom said.
“Okay, I guess,” Dan said. “I can live with it.”
And live with it he did, even after his feet grew to 9 1/2. It was a hard day for Dan when he finally had to give-in and chuck his well-worn Chuck’s.
Padre
Inspiration Call: Tell a Story About These Shoes
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