Terry's Song

Listen while you read:  It's not about me.

Well, they built the Titanic to be one of a kind
But many ships have ruled the seas
They built the Eiffel Tower to stand alone
But they could build another if they please
Taj Mahal, the pyramids of Egypt are unique, I suppose
But when they built you, brother, they broke the mold

Now the world is filled with many wonders
Under the passing sun
And sometimes something comes along
And you know it's for sure the only one
The Mona Lisa, the David, The Sistine Chapel, Jesus, Mary, and Joe
And when they built you, brother, they broke the mold

When they built you, brother, they turned dust into gold
When they built you, brother, they broke the mold

They say you can't take it with you
But I think that they're wrong
'Cause all I know is I woke up this morning
And something big was gone
Gone into that dark ether where you're still young and hard and cold
Just like when they built you, brother, they broke the mold

Now your death is upon us
And we'll return your ashes to the earth
And I know you'll take comfort in knowing
You've been roundly blessed and cursed
But love is a power greater than death just like the songs and stories told
And when she built you, brother, she broke the mold

That attitude's a power stronger than death
Alive and burning her stone cold
When they built you, brother . . . 

~  Bruce Springsteen

My calendar told me that today is "National Boss's Day," so of course, I knew it was a day for a Bruce Springsteen song. But which one to choose? I found a list of some of his songs and started scrolling. (He's written over 300 songs!) And then I saw "Terry's Song." Wait. What? How do I not know this song written for me? Ah, but it was not written for me, and I am grateful for that. Frank "Terry" Magovern was Bruce's personal assistant for 23 years. He died on July 30, 2007. His death occurred a couple of weeks after Bruce's fifteenth studio album, Magic, had been announced. Bruce's memorial to him, "Terry's Song," was added as the last track, but since it was too late to include it in the listings, it became a "hidden track." Oh, so maybe that's why I was unfamiliar with the song.

Of the Magic album, Bruce said the title refers to the "times when what's true can be made to seem like a lie, and what's a lie can be made to seem true." (Sound familiar?) Although "Terry's Song" is devoid of political commentary, there are other songs on the album which speak to Springsteen's disillusionment with the state of American society, especially the never-ending wars in which we become engaged.

National Boss's Day. (Is it a day to honor the President of the U.S. Virgin Islands? She said, tongue-in-cheek.) Bruce Springsteen was Terry Magovern's boss for over two decades, and Bruce called him "brother." Sounds like a pretty good working relationship. If you have a good boss, maybe today is a good day to let him/her know it.

As for me personally, I have had a few bosses, but I have never been anybody's boss. (Well, maybe my kids' boss for a nano-second.) I don't think I'd want to be anybody's boss; I'm too thin-skinned to be the subject of employees' disgruntlement. I guess essentially, I am the boss of me.

Wishing myself a happy day!