This thread could go in either section, as it is about a song. But, let me start in the beginning.

A few years back, when I was "unattached" I ended up eating out often. While I was sitting around, I'd browse through the free newspaper they had at many of the restaurants and when I'd read the small number of articles of mild interest, I would end up with nothing left to read except the Personals. I found them very revealing about the differences between how men and women advertise themselves. Here are a couple of composite listings, as typical examples:

Men:
Youthful, athletic, vigorous, succesful busines man in his fifties looking for an attractive woman who loves sports, the outdoors and having a good time. (We all know what the "good time" means... wink, wink)

Woman in her fifties seeking a man who appreciates quiet walks on the beach, candlight dinners and slow dancing. Must be employed.

The men try to sell themselves like they'd sell a classic car. The emphasis is on being in good shape, well-maintained and plenty of power left under the hood. They're looking for a female who can appreciate how much she's getting in the bargain, while offering a "good time" in return.

The women are seeking something much more intimate. They often mention quiet walks on the beach, moonlight dinners, and a man who enjoys reading, theater and music. From sad experience, some of them add the line about the man having a job.

And a song grew out of this. The song is titled Lavender Ladies, and is about widowed women later in life, with "hours to kill and no one to kill them with."

The verse that relates to the Personals is:

"And where are the men who can find their contentment
In a livingroom waltz, or a walk by the sea?
Who still know the meaning of now and forever
And a love that will last through eternity"

When I introduced the song, I'd refer to the Personal adds, and how differently single men and single women view themselves and what they are looking for. When I said that men try to sell themselves like they were selling a car, the women in the audience called out with the greatest of one liners, describing their husbands:

   "A good Station car"
   "Slow, but reliable"
   "Hard to start in the morning"

The first verse of the song echoes that less romantic image of their own husbands:

"What good is a man whose idea of pleasure
Is a can of cold beer and the game of the week
Who can't find his socks, or make his own coffee
Who expects you to jump every time that he speaks"

When men talk about a "good time" most of them aren't thinking about dancing to a waltz in someone's living room. Or a walk on the beach at sunset. Some are, of course.

Who would think Personal adds could be so revealing of the differences between men and women?

Jerry