Singing in AA Meetings

Subject: Singing in AA Meetings
From: Haruo
Date: 21 May 24 - 01:17 AM

Back in 2007 I posted the lyrics of my "Fremont Hymn",, a song text sung to WEBB / MORNING LIGHT that I wrote in 1987 and have been singing in AA meetings, mostly at Seattle's Fremont Hall, where I sobered up in 1984. The original Fremont, the tool God used to enable me to get and stay sober, closed in April, 1987, and I was seriously concerned that without it the particular culture of this hall that had done such a miraculous job on me would be lost. So I wrote "The Fremont Hymn", committing as much as I could of the Hall's persona to rhymed, singable verse. A new hall opened in the fall of 1987, about 50 blocks north of the original one, but it wasn't somehow quite as "Fremont" as the original; in 1988, I think, my roommate Lisa B. ("Punk-Rock Lisa"), dared me to wear one of her dresses and go to the new Fremont and stand on a chair and sing my song. I took her up on it, and have been standing on chairs at each of the (now six) successive incarnations of Fremont Hall and singing. I normally start with the Salvation Army Song (famously recorded by Judy Henske in the '60s) and follow it with the Fremont Hymn. Occasionally I've added either "Let Her Sleep Under the Bar" or "Ach du lieber Augustin [Octember, Septober]". I mostly do this in September, my AA Birthday Month, when I get my new coin. Last Saturday was my first visit to a meeting at the latest incarnation; the hall is now meeting in a room at the Salvation Army temple at 95th and Greenwood. This added a humorous twist to singing the "Salvation Army Song". Anyhow, this was the first time I've been recorded singing these songs in a meeting. If any of you would like to see the recordings, and have Messenger (the Facebook side app), send me a friend request and once I determine you're real and accept the request, I can send you the videos on Messenger. That's the only available format at the moment. My FB account is under my full legal name, Leland Bryant Ross.

In my experience, singing in AA meetings is relatively rare. If you know of other examples, I would love to hear about them. I've been doing these long enough that a lot of Fremonsters sing along like it was a hootenanny or something! (You can occasionally hear them in the background on the videos.)

Haruo (originally Liland here; Haruo is my Japanese name)

Subject: RE: Singing in AA Meetings
From: cnd
Date: 22 May 24 - 10:54 AM

Interesting stuff, Haruo, and thanks for sharing both your song and your story. Must be nice to finally have yourself on video doing it, even if you can always just sing it to yourself :)

Subject: RE: Singing in AA Meetings
From: The Sandman
Date: 22 May 24 - 11:15 AM

GOODBYE BOOZE BY CHARLIE POOLE WOULD BE GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZYgJs55DKk