January 29, 2009
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Let your arrow go...
Yesterday after work I caught the W train.
After the doors slid shut I began to discern a lovely mellow male voice coming from the other side of the car. It was an older African American man holding a cane and a bag, serenading the other passengers with his relaxed style. The song was Sam Cooke's "Only Sixteen." I love Sam Cooke, don't you?
She was only sixteen, only sixteen
I loved her so
But she was too young to fall in love
And I was too young to knowWhen he got next to me, I dropped some change into his bag and quietly stated, "You're gonna get in trouble singing that song." He looked at me quizzically. I explained. "Only Sixteen? Come on!" He chuckled and said, "Yeah, I was in the other car singing it to two young girls. I could tell they thought I was weird."
I recommended "A Change is Gonna Come." He thought about it for a second and said "No! I've got one!" Then he turned his attention to the little boy with glasses who was watching us chat and said, "Do you want to go back fifty-two years and sing a great Sam Cooke song with me?" The kid just looked at him. Then he added, "If you can sing it with me I'll give you all the money in my bag." The kid said, "You can keep it." The man smiled, offered and received a fist bump and went into the most beautiful version of "Cupid" I've ever heard on that particular subway.
Cupid draw back your bow
And let your arrow go
Straight to my lover's heart for me, for me.The man moved down the car, singing his song as people reached for loose change. I saw two teenage girls break into wide unguarded smiles.
As I got off the train, those same girls were behind me on the stairs, and they were giggling. "He was the sweetest old man, wasn't he?
This country's feeling pretty good these days.
----Ed Kaz
Comments (15)
Is that a self-satisfied smirk I see on your face?
Meh. I don't think it's the whole country.
But I do love that song. And I would've smiled, too.
@Another_Perfect_Wonder - Well....it starts with one person....then another....then a couple more....then you
There been times that I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
I love that song! I sing it around the house all the time.
@jillcarmel - What do you wear when you sing it?
@Ed_Kaz - hey, just whatever. Go to my site and see your name and leave a message.
That is really a sweet story. Sorry, nothing snarky to offer. So sweet.
i love strangers, it's reassuring when you can smile like that as you walk away from one
@nine0five - On the NYC subway, those encounters are few and far between. But this guy was giving off a nice vibe, and I just let my guard down and went along with it.
One time I was on the El in Chicago and there was an old man who was sitting in an actual recliner--ON THE TRAIN. He said his son had helped him drag it in that morning so he would be comfortable.
The end.
Your sappiest post ever!
@SaadiaOnline - That is awesome. I wish they had more of them on my daily bus from Jersey. Maybe there'd be fewer "bus emergencies."
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