Damn it. It happened again last night. I thought I was over it. I sang "Christmas in the Trenches" at an open mike (well it is Christmas time). I barely got through it what with a choking in my throat and tears running down my face.

I can sing it over an over again to myself without a problem (now I can, that hasn't always been true). And I can listen to someone else sing it, now, without crying.

But if I try a public performance I'm filling up with tears by the time I sing "and in two tongues one song filled up that sky." There were times I just couldn't finish the song.

There are some other songs that are a similar risk for me. One of them I have never tried to learn, because I know I could not handle it. That's The Randall Knife by Guy Clark. Another which I can usually get through now, depending on the night, is Guy's "Let Him Roll."

Anybody else have this problem? Any solutions?

Roger in Baltimore