This is a poem about a terrible summer job I had once.
All of you have had terrible summer jobs
at one time or another.
Lots of things happen to me this summer.
It's called "Zimmer's Bad Summer."
"The summer I lost my girl, I had a job so bad,
so hard, I still get pains around my heart
when it comes to mind.
Mud, mud, the mason screamed like the girl saying, no, no,
no.
And the walls grew up and up.
When I think of it even now, the dumb bastard pains
flick about my heart.
And after a while, I want the walls
to fall on me, the rip roaring mason
to stumble onto his scutch and bleed cement, the girl
to disappear beneath the rubble.
Can't they see my heart was broken?
Good for me, the mason said.
Teach me what the world is like for money.
I never had to like it.
And when the pains come around now,
I can say like an old union pro, watch your ass, boy.
Stay alive."
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you very much for that applause.
I have a feeling if you didn't do it after a poem,
I would become terribly upset.
So I just couldn't go on.
So save it for one booming crescendo at the end.
That would be great.
[LAUGHTER]