Posted by
Mikie on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 7:45:00 PM
When I was little there came a time to honor Abraham Lincoln. Not that I knew it... but Dad did. He grew his Abraham Lincoln beard and then went to sing with barbershop quartet.
What they sang about seemed to be steeped in tradition... Sweet Adeline in four male voices.
The honor to Abraham Lincoln... I believe they believed they gave it in the best voices they had.
To me... Abraham Lincoln was a log splitter. A guy who could make a very nice fence. But I wasn't all that old then, or experienced enough, when I first learned about this by listening to them singing.
Later... as I grew old enough to read for myself... I found out that Abraham Lincoln was: One Hell of a Speaker. And he was a Hell of a Good Log Splitter too. That's why the barbershop quartets in Wonder got together and sang (at least that is the way it was in the '50's.. in Wonder... guys actually sang for other guys and showed off their beards but they weren't Gay. They were just celebrating... Lincoln's ability to speak what he would do).
Weird by Today's standards. If this were to happen in Wonder today the Russians would nuke it and the people down the road in Kerbyville would deny it exists.
But it did happen. Like in the 1959's. They grew beards... and celebrated Lincoln... in front of their kids. For the Centennial of the end of Slavery.
These bearded guys wore pins. They even placed their hand on their Heart and then they sang songs together for a President of the United States... a dead one. No one had their hat on or their hands folded in front of them. There was no doubt.
I don't think that this happened because of Abraham Lincoln the speaker. I think it happened because of what he said he would do... and what he did.
He gave his life believing in it. It happened without him being here to push it.
A hundred years later my dad grew a Lincoln beard and sang.
I don't really know if Dad would grow a beard for anyone running for President today. Surely he would not grow a beard for Hillary.
But his kid knew why he grew the beard and sang the songs.
Lincoln said what he would do. And he did it... even though he died.
Lincoln never said something PC like... check your horse for loyalty to my song.
Lincoln never even asked my Dad to sing for him... but Dad did.
So now I am asked by Barack Obama to accept him as he is... a JFK reincarnate with a desire for Change in me to be delivered to him.
All I can say is "No".
Nobody is going to sing for you.
Barack! You sing for yourself. You don't need the other singers.
But you will need the guys with beards who sang about Lincoln.
They are not all dead yet... and neither are their kids.
Mikie