Thursday, November 19, 2009

Lush Life


I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life...
From jazz and cocktails.

The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distingue traces
That used to be there you could see where they'd been washed away
By too many through the day...
Twelve o'clock tales.

Then you came along with your siren of song
To tempt me to madness!
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness

Of a great love for me.
Ah yes! I was wrong...
Again,
I was wrong.
Now life is awful again,
And only last year everything seemed so sure.
Life is lonely again,
A troughful of hearts could only be a bore.
A week in Paris will ease the bite of it,
All I care is to smile in spite of it.

I'll forget you, I will
While yet you are still burning inside my brain.
Romance is mush,
Stifling those who strive.
I'll live a lush life in some small dive...
And there I'll be, while I rot
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too.

BILLY STRAYHORN
November 19, 1915 - May 31, 1967

9 comments:

  1. talk about someone you'd like to have known......

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  2. Thank you for spotlighting this way undersung hero. And I mean to take nothing away from the great Duke by saying that.

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  3. Mistress MJ often plays "Lush Life: The Billy Strayhorn Songbook" in the wee small hours of the morning.

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  4. I bought that recording by Nat King Cole way back in the 50's. Memorized the words and love to sing it! Great song.

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  5. normadesmond - Amen to that.

    FelixinHollywood - I seem to remember a few rumors about Billy and the Duke a while back...

    MJ - While the houseboys mix you another martini?

    jiva - Apropos of nothing, I had a dream about you last night - seriously! And you looked fabulous, I might add.

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  6. That's because I'm on my way to Wyoming dahling. Lots of hunky mountain men out there. Going completely western, where the gentlemen say things like
    "Howdy ma'am."

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  7. OMG I was just thinking of this song!!!

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  8. ACK!!! Thombeau!!! Where have you been, you scamp?? Miss you.

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  9. It's a long story, darling, and not a pretty one. But I can occasionally be found here.

    Miss you, too, sweetie. And love you!

    xoxox

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