Friday, January 11, 2008

A Canadian WASP sings the blues

On a recent flight I was listening to the blues music channel on Air Canada's "personal entertainment system". It cut out right in the middle of a good song when we started descending, and I felt bereft for a moment. "No," I thought, "Blues all gone! ... I'm sad! ... I have...no-blues blues.....heyyyyy...."
I should note that the Frantics sang a rather different song called "The no-blues blues" on CBC radio back in the late eighties.
I should also note that I personally own neither a Prius, an iPod, nor a condo.

Woke up this mornin':
Couldn't sing the blues.
You know 'bout that, baby--
Got them no blues blues.
I got me some money;
My man ain't done me wrong.
I ain't had nothin' to sing about
In oh! so very long.

I ain't got no street cred
cause I never seem to lose
my case of---no blues blues.

Got into my Prius
Drove on downtown:
Gotta see my accountant
'Bout my retirement plan.
He said, "Honey, you're laughin',
Got it made in the shade."
I asked him, "Should I be happy
With my mortgage all paid?

How can I be down and out
With brand new Prada shoes?"
Well, I got them---no blues blues.

So I turned up my iPod
'til I got to the mall.
If it weren't for good luck
I'd have no luck at all.
Got back to my condo
Put my key in the door:
There's my baby, vacuuming,
With piles of clean laundry all over the floor.

He says, "Honey, I missed you,
Now tell me, what's the news?"
Well I gots them low down no good---no blues blues.

I'm crying into my latte
'coz my life story is a snooze.
All us bourgeois bohemians got them---no blues blues.