Those Were the Days, as performed by Susan Lainey

In the back of the room he sat. Unconnected. Detached from the chair, from his jacket, from his sunglasses, from his hat. He was never there. But we were.

Remember how we laughed away the hours,
Think of all the great things we would do

You asked the next day if I had noticed the blue moon. And I did notice. I saw the moon threatening to engulf us all. Amidst the dancing, and the drinking, and the smoking, I saw the moon. And I saw your blueness. But we all failed to see his.

Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we'd choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way

He was not waving. And he drowned. Though some say he hanged himself. Does it matter now? He was not an acrobat, he was not a fire eater, he was not a knife thrower. He—like you and I and many others—was a clown. One clown less.

Then, the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way

You both were right. Life is the party to which we have not been invited. But we have learned to get by. He never did.