2nd July, 2016

THE METRONOME/ BLOG POST 07

CB and I had finished shooting a hectic fun and feel good video in Singapore, for the previous Metronome Blog Post and on our very last day in the city, we were walking towards City Hall MRT station, when i heard the strains of a harmonica and stopped. There was this guy standing alone on the pavement, with a bag and a stick umbrella and playing a harmonica to no one in particular. "Another day, another opportunity to be amazing" read a caption across this apron that he wore. 

 

I turned around and went back to listen to him. Unlike most street musicians we usually come across, this guy looked really old and frail. He was 82, he told us, and started telling us about himself and his life, and proudly showed us all the money he'd collected in his bag! And then he started playing for us. Some of this extraordinary encounter, CB managed to record on my iphone camera, before it ran out of battery! We gave him as many dollars as we could dredge out of our pockets, thanked him, and went on our way.

 

Looking at the phone recording inside the train, I realised that he was going to be the subject for one of my Vlog posts. And that I had no idea what his name was, because I'd forgotten to ask him! Its not that he was the most phenomenal musician or the most flamboyant performer I'd come across, but there was something about this proud old man, doing what he still can, with dignity, to stay self reliant - either because he had noone to depend upon or because he didn't want to depend on anyone - that moved me to bits! 

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SONG CREDITS :

I'd finished writing half the song in my head before I got off the MRT, and the rest, soon after. The musical composition was reverse engineered from the harmonica tune that he played, so that I could seamlessly blend the phone recording of the harmomica into my song. CB shot him playing, on my iphone. The rest of the video was self shot, and the video was edited by me. 

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If anyone based in or visiting Singapore, and passing by City Hall MRT station can get me the harmonica player's name, I'd love to add it to the credits here! 

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SONG LYRICS : 

There's a man with a harmonica at the corner of City Hall

His loved ones have all died or gone, but he's still standing tall

And the old man at City Hall's on the sidewalk playing his tune

He's 82 and he's standing tall, on a summer morning in June

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He played me a couple of songs, I gave him all the change that I had

He told me a little bit about his life, the good times and the bad, 

He spoke of things that change with time and things that stay the same

We said goodbye, I walked away, I wish I'd asked his name

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If you come across him at City Hall, and happen to pass him by, 

Do play him this little song I made, and tell him, I said Hi

If you find yourself in Singapore, and find him  - be a dear, 

Do remember to ask his name, so I can add it here! 

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