SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATON - BOSTON MARATHON

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." (I Corinthians 9:24-27)

I think I've written about this before, but sometimes I am amazed at the songs that will just "pop into my head" seemingly out of nowhere! Several days ago, for some reason I started thinking about the Arlo Guthrie song, "City of New Orleans". I happen to love that song. It's such a beautiful "slice of Americana"! Two of my grown kids and I saw Arlo Guthrie at an outdoor concert in Framingham, MA several years ago and it was so great to hear him perform that song! As the song "played in my head" last week, the thought occurred to be that it would be neat to take a song like that and put new words to it about the Boston Marathon bombings but also about the hope for the future. The next day, I sat at the computer and wrote new lyrics to the song in less than a half hour. I posted the lyrics on Facebook, and send them out as an e-mail to a few close friends. I will admit I was annoyed with myself that I'd misspelled a word or two (I've now fixed that!) but I was really pleased to receive several very positive responses about my "new" words to "City of New Orleans"- which I am calling "Marathon of Boston". My friend Suzanne F. suggested that it would be exciting to get a professional singer to record the song with my new words and use the record sales and downloads entirely for fundraising for the Marathon victims. Honestly, that is a magnificent idea! It's true the "One Fund Boston" has already raised millions and millions of dollars, but the needs of the victims and their families will go on for decades and the costs will be astronomical. I would be so excited to see my words recorded as a song by a professional singer and all the proceeds going to help this effort. As much as I write blog postings and send mass e-mailings, I really am just a very simple guy from the Boston suburbs. Right now, I work a couple of very simple jobs,and live what some of you would find to be an amazingly simple lifestyle. I don't know a lot of "heavy hitters". I'd love to get in touch with Arlo Guthrie and ask if he would record "Marathon of Boston". I think lives in Berkshire County but I have no idea how to get in touch with him. Of course, there are all the copyright issues. I think Arlo Guthrie holds the copyright on "City of New Orleans" but I don't know that for sure. All that stuff would have to be worked out. Again, I'm a very simple guy without a lot of contacts.

But: I think of that concept of "Six Degrees of Separation" that many of us heard about a few years ago. It's the theory that each person is only six people removed from a very famous person, and sometimes it's not that much! For example, I know someone very well who personally knows someone who knows former President George W. Bush very well. I also know someone who knows a couple of the WBZ-TV reporters very well. I knew at least three people who personally knew former Governor (and Presidential candidate) Michael S. Dukakis. This is my thought. Of the 100-200 friends and acquaintances of mine who will read this, all of you have at least five people you could forward this link on to. It is very likely that you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who could make what I'm writing about here happen! The key thing is, to make this happen, you have to believe in this and forward it on and preferably endorse the idea in some way. I'm asking you to do that. Let's see what happens! Here are the words to "Marathon of Boston":

Running in the Marathon of Boston
Western suburbs, Monday morning chill
Fifteenth of April, multitudes of runners
Women and men, Twenty-six miles of trail
All along the eastbound odyssey - the race starts off with cheers and glee
And rolls along past houses, stores, and crowds
Passing fans so glad they came, led by thin and tall black men
Watched on media from everywhere in the world.

Patriots Day in old beantown, how are ya?
Say, don't you know me? I'm so thrilled to run
I'm the race they call the Marathon of Boston
I'll be gone twenty-six miles fore the day is done.

Eating Dunkin’ Donuts with my daughter down in Framingham.
Snappin’ pictures- hearing the crowds roar
A busy mom drops her baby’s bottle
Eatin’ crunchy candy from the corner store.
And the girls of Puerto Rico, and the sons of old Brazil
Cheer sisters and brothers running from far away
And, teenagers and their girlfriends too, smile and wave at skinny souls
And they wonder if they’ll conquer heartbreak hill.

Patriots Day in old beantown, how are ya?
Say, don't you know me? I'm so thrilled to run
I'm the race they call the Marathon of Boston
I'll be gone twenty-six miles fore the day is done.

Night time in the heart of downtown Boston
Not a crowd that anyone can see
Soundwaves shook the square that’s known as Copley
Acts of darkness, horror followed the glee.
Yes, for all the crowded people, it seemed like a bad dream
And the world stood still and heard the news
Violence hits us once again- cries and tears, a sad refrain
But these streets again will welcome runners’ shoes.

Patriots Day in old beantown, how are ya?
Say, don't you know me? I'm so thrilled to run
I'm the race they call the Marathon of Boston
I'll be gone twenty-six miles fore the day is done.

Friends, help me with this project, please!