From the recording Sing
I had gone to see Reilly and Maloney perform in Chicago--it had been over 20 years since the last time I'd seen them. They had gone from freckle-faced redheads to striking, silver-haired seniors and had not lost a single note of what has always made them wonderful. The old saying "snow on the roof, fire down below" popped into my head and I realized there was a song to be written--about being relevant and following your muse no matter how old. I tweaked the "snow on the roof" metaphor, and the chorus came to me as I drove home from the concert. After noodling around with a riff on mountain dulcimer, it all fell into place. I recorded this idown in Sparta, IL in mid-Jan. 2012--just me and my dulcimer.
Lyrics
Now, I'm well into my prime
But that doesn't mean that I have run out of time.
You may be old as I,
But open your mouth, warm up your hands,
And let your heart fly.
And sing, dang ya, sing till you can't sing no more
And play, dang ya, play till your fingers are raw.
Well, it's never too late to be telling the truth
You don't tear down the house 'cause there's snow on the roof
Give it all, give it everything--sing, dang ya, sing.
Well, I have been 'round the block
But I am not ready yet to run out the clock
They may say you're past due.
Don't you listen to them--just gather them in
To listen to you.
And sing......