I lost my best mate November 2024, I miss him like hell, but my loss cannot compare with that of his family.. I wrote this piece for his wife and our group of friends, but back then I had no means of making my feelings known more widely. The part about telling him I loved him is true, it’s a very unusual thing for one heterosexual man to say to another, and to tell the truth, I don’t know what got into my head to do it. But being the man he was he took it as it was intended.

The last verse of the original version, could be considered plagiarism from guess what? a Bob Dylan song Bob Dylan’s Dream.

“ I wish I wish I wish vane,
We could sit simply in that room again,
Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat,
I’d give it all gladly if our lives could be like that.

So I wrote an alternative last verse. It cannot compare with Dylan’s, but I hope it works. I would love to hear your comments on this.

Eulogy to a fine man

It’s Tuesday night and I can’t sleep

The demons in my head begin to creep.

Wednesday’s coming, all will be fine,

I get to see those fine friends of mine.

He’ll be there that ginger fellow,

Just the job when I’m feeling mellow.

We can’t agree on this, can’t agree on that,

Or even what happened to Schrödinger‘s cat.

It may got heated it may get hot,

But skip a week and it’s all forgot.

He always laughed at my inane jokes,

Never aggressive not like other blokes.

We hear of his travels all across the land,

Always ready with a helping hand.

I have never met a finer man,

I’ll live up to his memory if only I can.

Why did it happen? We don’t know,

Why did he leave us, why did he go?

Too many questions, not enough answers.

Some may say he took too many chances.

That’s what happens when you live life to the full.

And this fellow Andy didn’t know how to be dull.

I don’t know why I did it, it was a strange thing,

Once I told him I loved him, how he made my heart sing.

If  this was a movie I’d have come clean,

I would do anything to change the last scene.

But good endings alas can’t always be had,

To have known him and loved him, it makes my heart glad.

Original last verse.

Oh how I wish, I wish, I in vane,

We could all sit chatting in that pub again.

I would give anything at the drop of a hat,

And give it gladly if our lives could be like that.