Open Mic Therapy Tour: So Far, So Good.

Music: I have found that music is my medicine. It makes me feel better. And being in front of an audience is wonderful. I still have a long way to go to get my performance skills up to the level I want. But, it is fun getting there.

Happy Birthday: My friend Charlie and I went to the Luthier’s open mic on Wednesday. We go every few weeks or so, but it happened on my birthday. 65 is like an artificial finish line, in the middle of a race that doesn’t exist. On the one hand, it is just another day, but you have to do all the Medicare crap. And all those damn TV ads from AARP and Cialis are aimed at you. Yes, you. I guess I’ve already talked about that.

Because of Facebook, everyone knew it was my birthday. When my friend Pete Nelson was on stage for his turn, he led the whole place in a round of Happy Birthday. That was pretty cool. And now we don’t have to pay royalties for the song anymore, so it was a public-domain performance.

So Far. So Good. I have been working on a song called So far, So good. I started writing it a long time ago and then “finished it” while Kathy was still in hospice. At the time, it seemed entirely possible that she would keep on going for months. It is an odd combination of a love song with humor. I reworked part of it after she passed away, but I wanted to try the current version at Luthier’s.  The audience started singing along, which is like medicine to me and a great birthday present.

These are the lyrics:

So Far, So Good

© Peter Lehndorff

So far, so good. I’m doin’ okay. I’m doin’ pretty good.
So far, so good. I can’t complain, knock on wood.

We think what we want to think.
We hear what we want to hear.
Some of us are prayin’ that we’ll go up to heaven.
But most of us will end up right down here.
I don’t look too far forward. I don’t look too far back.
If I don’t watch where I’m at, I’ll end up flat on my ass.

We used to think too much about our bucket list.
Is our glass half empty? Or is the glass just too damned big?
Woke up each morning. You were smiling at me.
When I looked into your eyes, you were all I need.

Chorus
So far. So good. I’m doin’ okay. I’m doin’ pretty good.
I can’t complain, knock on wood. So far. So good.

When we were fifty, things were a little iffy.
When we turned sixty we just said, “Oh what the hell.”
Things are what they were. They will be what they are.
People said we were goin’ places. And we did… Just not far.

Chorus

After every rain storm. After a hurricane.
After it snows like hell, the sun comes out again.
I wish I could tell you, I wish you were near.
I wish I could tell you that I’m doin’ okay right here.

Chorus