Sometimes I rewrite famous songs – ala Weird Al … I’ve been doing this for a long, long time. The first song I ever did like this (well that I performed anywhere) was George Michael’s I Want Your Sex which I did as I Want Your Socks and had a laundry basket with real laundry too onstage at G-E-T High and then got a job singing in a band. I don’t recall all the lyrics, but I remember it went well and was one of the criteria the music teacher used to get me a “letter” in music… not a goal I had in high school.

Recently here at work we had a special person move to the east coast and had a farewell lunch for her at Humble Pie (local restaurant – good pizza) and I rewrote Don McLean’s American Pie to bye bye at Humble Pie

A long, long time ago

Kathy can still remember how that Tipton used to make her smile

And she new if she had her chance that she could make that Tipton pack

And maybe we’d be prepared for a little while

But the injuries made them shiver with every cut or little sliver

Bad news on the doorstep – we couldn’t take one more step

I can’t remember if I cried when I read about her planned goodbye

Something touched us deep inside the day that Tipton said goodbye…

 

So bye, bye Tipton

Drive your CC to the East Coast and wave bye bye

Us AZK12 workers will sit here and cry

Singing this’ll be the day she says goodbye

This is the day she says goodbye

 

Did you pack for Plug and Play and do you think it’ll all fit in the car?

If Cheryl tells you so

And do you believe in the IPDP and National Board, save your teachers soul? And…

Can you teach us how to pack, real slow…

Well I know that you’ll miss us cause I saw you crying in the print room

You dropped brochures on your shoes, and oh man what a bruise

We’ll be lonely, lonesome staff with AZK12 Pink flyers in Andrew’s pick up truck, but …

I know we’ll be out of luck, the day that Tipton says goodbye

 

So bye, bye Tipton

Drive your CC to the East Coast and wave bye bye

Us AZK12 workers will sit here and cry

Singing this’ll be the day that she says good bye

This is the day she says goodbye

 

Now for the future she’ll be on her own and moss grows fat on a rolling stone…

But that’s not how it used to be

When Jakester sang at the Humble Pie with a coke he borrowed from Kristi

In a voice that’s sad and weepy

Oh and while the team was looking down, Tipton went and fooled around

She sliced her thumb and Jess fixed her up

And while the rest of us were working hard – Tipton got more and more scarred

We sang dirges in the dark – the day that Tipton went bye

 

We were singing bye bye at Humble Pie

Drove our cars to the restaurant and started to cry

Our dear friend Tipton was saying goodbye

This’ll be a day that I cry

This’ll be a day that I cry

 

Helter Skelter in the summer swelter – the crew went off and wisher her better

100 degrees and climbing fast

 

And we were singing –

Bye Bye Miss Tipton goodbye

Drive your CC to the East Coast and don’t you cry

When you say goodbye oh the tears we’ll cry

Singing this’ll be the day she says goodbye,

this’ll be the day she says goodbye…

This went over quite well…

Then a good friend Michelle said goodbye to the center and we needed another song… so my friend Liana helped me to re-write Baby Got Back by Sir Mix a Lot to – Michelle Got Back and we did a video: