Life's a Funny Proposition!

Just Thinking About Life... 

On the season finale of Boardwalk Empire, HBO's brilliantly written new series.  They chose to close the show with an old turn-of-the-century tune by George M. Cohan.  It's a song that I first became familiar with back in the 1960s, when I was just a wee lad.  (as Cohan might've said)

When most people think of Cohan's music and lyrics;  They tend to remember the light hearted ditties like "Yankee Doodle Dandy". 

The serious being that I am however, always seemed to remember the insightful, darker and more somber songs.  Such as the poignant lyrics contained within the immortal tune...

Life's a funny proposition, after all  


"Did you ever sit and ponder,

Sit and wonder, sit and think,

Why we're here and what this life is all about?

It's a problem that has driven

Many brainy men to drink,

It's the weirdest thing they've tried to figure out.

About a thousand diff'rent theories

All the scientists can show,

But never yet have proved a reason why

With all we've thought

And all we're taught,

Why all we seem to know,

Is we're born, and live a while and then we die.



Refrain 1

Life's a very funny proposition after all,

Imagination, jealousy, hypocrisy and all.

Three meals a day, a whole lot to say;

When you haven't got the coin you're always in the way.

Ev'rybody's fighting as we wend our way along,

Ev'ry fellow claims the other fellow's in the wrong;

Hurried and worried until we're buried and there's no curtain call.

Life's a very funny proposition after all.



Verse 2

When all things are coming easy, and when luck is with a man,

Why then life to him is sunshine ev'rywhere;

Then the fates blow rather breezy and they quite upset a plan,

Then he'll cry that life's a burden hard to bear.

Though today may be a day of smiles, tomorrow's still in doubt,

And what brings me joy, may bring you care and woe;

We're born to die, but don't know why, or what it's all about,

And the more we try to learn the less we know.



Refrain 2

Life's a very funny proposition, you can bet,

And no one's ever solved the problem properly as yet.

Young for a day, then old and gray;

Like the rose that buds and blooms and fades and falls away,

Losing health to gain our wealth as through this dream we tour.

Ev'rything's a guess and nothing's absolutely sure;

Battles exciting and fates we're fighting until the curtain falls.

Life's a very funny proposition after all."





Just Thinking

Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word "Comments")

Bill Maher Is Back!

Real Time with Bill Maher is back for a whole new season on HBO!  Look for new episodes every Friday night at 10 PM.  Plus of course it's repeated frequently throughout the week.  This, in my humble opinion,  is one of the best hours of television you'll find anywhere.  I highly recommend it!

Also airing this month on HBO,  is Bill Maher's new comedy act.  "But, I'm Not Wrong" this is basically the same show that Esther and I saw "Live" at the Jackie Gleason theater on Miami Beach.  You have to check it out,  as Jackie Gleason would've said "It's the Greatest"! 

In case you're not familiar with Bill Maher's work,  permit me to post here one of my favorite videos.  In this video, Bill addresses the health care issue, the French, and lots of other topics I tend to agree with him on, and much like Bill Maher.  I'm Never Wrong!  (well hardly ever, anyway.).

Check out this video.  It's lots of fun...



The video stops kind of abruptly at the end.  But then again, let's face it, there's certain things you can say on HBO,  that you simply can't get away with on YouTube.

Please feel free to comment below or e-mail me direct at EddieOReilly@HotMail.Com and your comment will be posted.