Ode To a Ukulele
Ode To a Ululele
A soprano uke was what I had
A birthday present to me from Dad
And with a Mel Bay book “How to Play”
I practiced a little every day
Learning chords is quite a fight
Need to finger them just right
Each string totally clear
Progress slowly came along
Finally I could play a song
A task that took a year
My friend took me to a friend of his
A guy who played a uke like a whiz
I’d never heard of a “Baritone”
Now I got to get one of my own
Found it in the music store
On the wall, up off the floor
T’was a beautiful sight
When I took it from the wall
“Take me home” I heard it call
I bought it with delight
My musical prowess did increase
My love for that uke never did cease
A party uke as good as it gets
Play, sing the songs, I couldn’t quit
College years it was a hit
Roomy and I sang duet
Talent shows were our thing
The songs were fun, don’t you know
A Homer and Jethro show
Oh how my uke did sing
Flight testing the Boeing AWACS plane
Flying Demos for the NATO chain
Twenty nine thousand feet in the air
My uke had a banjo love affair
A bar in Europe one night
A uke and banjo delight
No one would leave that scene
Somehow the uke got a whack
I saw the top had a crack
I screamed till I turn green
Through High School, College and Bachelorhood
Loved that piece of mahogany wood
Then set aside for family and work
Care of the uke, a job I did shirk
When I took it out to play
I was bad, what can I say
But the uke sounded fine
Wiped that uke till it was clean
I didn’t mean to be mean
It said “play me some time”
Years in the closet, total neglect
The tension on the strings had an effect
Out of the closet it came one day
Oh no, the action’s too high to play
Repair man said, “Cost too much”
Needs a neck reset and such
It’s more than it is worth
That’s a heavy blow to take
Oh so sad that my heart did ache
The saddest guy on earth
Repaired a guitar in later years
Then thoughts of my old uke reappeared
Fix the old uke and do it myself
That’s when I took it down from the shelf
Read about a neck reset
Give it a try, no regret
I thought nothing to lose
In two weeks I had it done
Felt like I’d hit a home run
The tests were all good news
The uke was easy to play again
I had given life to my old friend
For sixty long years that uke was mine
It’s time to pass it on down the line
Gave to my daughter and girls
I knew they’d cherish my pearl
Now it’s a legacy
With the best sound in the world
And a future yet to unfurl
Music’s its destiny
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