THE OLD MAN SHUFFLE
1 See the old man shuffle in, see the old man shuffle in,
see the old man shuffle in to the hospital today.
2 Oh his legs don't work so well, no his legs don't work so well, Oh his legs don't work so well, they're in retirement now.
BRIDGE: But his love is strong,
it's as strong as yours and mine,
and maybe some more, and maybe some more, I think so.
3 O he's come to see her smile, and he's come to make her smile, o he's come to see Elsie smile before she smiles no more.
Robin Mann © 1981. In the last year of her life, Mum got very sick and had to go to hospital. She’d had twelve children, worked hard all her life, and various parts of her body said they’d had enough. She was treated in the Queen Elisabeth Hospital in Adelaide, and various members of the family transported Dad back and forth from Murray Bridge to see her. Dad’s legs had just about had it, and his slow walk combined with the tenderness between Mum & Dad led to this song. They exchanged sweet nothings in German (the first language of these 4th & 5th generation Australians). I never sang the song to either of them. Mum died in October of that year, Dad the following April. |
30.9.24
Back from a Break
During September, Dorothy and I travelled
to Norway and the UK.
After long flights
- Adelaide to Melbourne,
Melb to Dubai (14 hrs),
Dubai to Oslo (7 hrs) -
we did Norway in a nutshell
from Oslo to Bergen, then
the Hurtigruten Cruise
up the west coast of Norway
and back again.
Then an 8 day Trafalgar tour
and 4 days in London,
before taking the direct flight
(16 3/4 hrs)
from Heathrow to Perth.
We're a bit tired (!) but we'll still be a part
of the LWA convention and the
General Convention .
See some of you there.