I was re-listening to Larry Kaplan's album Worth All the Telling and was struck, like I never had been before, by "The Meadowlark Waltz." This more tentative "Auld Lang Syne" may almost do a little too well at tapping into the pandemic isolation blues and anxieties about losing touch...

THE MEADOWLARK WALTZ
Written and recorded by Larry Kaplan
YouTube

Can you remember the meadowlark's song,
And the moon rising out of the glen?
Or the stories we told on those warm summer nights?
Don't you think we can hear them again?
That's a long time ago, my old friend.

Don't you think you've been gone just a little too long?
You've seen trouble enough in your time.
And it sure wouldn't hurt to know who your friends are;
Some are long ago, some far behind.
Some are long ago, some far behind.

Rust on the hillside,
Clouds in the sky,
And a river too tired to flow.
Half-finished letters,
Good friends who know better,
There just aren't that many to know.

Now there's ice on the windows and there's frost in the fields.
No, nothing much changes 'round here.
We are all a bit older, but then, now so are you.
You count miles and we measure in years.
You count miles and we measure in years.

Rust on the hillside...

Can you remember the meadowlark's song
And the moon rising out of the glen?
Or the stories we told on those warm summer nights?
Don't you think we can hear them again?
That's a long time ago, my old friend.

Okay, that ABC was absolutely full of errors. Here we go again.

X:1
T:The Meadowlark Waltz
C:Larry Kaplan
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:3/4=37
K:CMaj
"C" g4 ag | "F" f e3 d c/2G/2 | G2 G2 z2 | "G" z2 z2 AB | "C" c2 d3 e |
w:Can you re-mem-ber the mea-dow lark's song And the moon ri-sing
"F" f4 ef |(a g3) z2 | "G" z2 z2 ef | "C" g a3 g2 | "C7" e4 cd |
w:out of the glen_ Or the sto-ries we told on those
"F" c4 FA | "C" G3 z cd | e4 fe | "G7" d4 cd | "F" c4 z2 |
w:warm sum-mer nights Don't you think we can hear them a-gain
z2 z2 cA | "C" G2 cd e2- | e2 "G" d4 | "C" c2 c2 "^fine" z2 |]
w:That's a long time a-go_ my old friend
|: z2 z2 "C" ef | g4 ag | "F" f2-f2 ed | cde G2 z |
w:1.~Don't you think you've been gone_ just a lit-tle too long
w:2.~Now there's ice on the win-dows and there's frost in the fields
"G" z2 z2 AB | "C" c3 d e2 | "F" f2-f2 ef | (a g3) z2 | "G" z2 z2 ef |
w:You've seen trou-ble e-nough_ in your time_ And it
w:No,_ no-thing much chan-ges round_ here_ We are
"C" g4 ag | "C7" e4 ed | "F" c3 F A2 | "C" G2 z2 z2 | cd ef e2 |
w:sure would-n't hurt to know who your friends are Some are long a-go,
w:all a bit older, but then, now so are you You count miles and we
"G7" d4 cd | "F" c2 z2 z2 | z2 z2 ec | "C" Gc d4 | "G" e2 d3 c | "C" c3 z z2 |
w:some far be-hind Some are long a-go, some far be-hind
w:mea-sure in years You count miles and we mea-sure in years
"C7" z2 z2 z2 | "F" a2 a3 a | a (g "Dm7" f2) z2 | "C" g2 gg g2- | "Am7" g2 z2 ga | "F" g f4 f |
w:Rust on the hill-side_ Clouds in the sky_ And a ri-ver too
"G" f e4 f | "C" g4 z2 | "C7" z2 z2 z2 | "F" a2 a a3 | "C" a g2 f | g4 gg |
w:ti-red to flow Half-fi-nished let-ters Good friends who know
g a3 z g | "F" f f4 f | f e4 c | [1 "G7" d6 :| [2 "G7" d6 | "^D.C. al fine" z2 z2 z2 |
w:bet-ter There just aren't that ma-ny to know