When He Was a Lad
Lyrics © 2013 Monica Zucker
- Tune
- from Pinafore / Gilbert & Sullivan
- Written by
- Monica Zucker
- Gaggle
- Seattle
Know the tune from Pinafore / Gilbert & Sullivan? You're ready.
Record your gaggle singing it and we'll feature it here.
- Read the lyrics through once silently before singing.
- If the original tune is unfamiliar, look it up first.
- Modify freely. Every gaggle adapts songs to local issues.
(Solo) When he was a lad of twenty-three
He said Ma, I’m gay, and I gotta be me.
She said, son, you’re the apple of my eye—
Gay or straight, you’re my kind of guy.
He conquered life’s hurdles, and now you see
He’s a VIP in the community.
(All) He conquered life’s hurdles so perfectly
That he’s taught us all a lesson in liberty!
(Solo) He was first in his troop to be Eagle Scout—
Now the BSA says “Sorry, you’re out!”
The Army beckoned. “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
That wasn’t his dish—and that’s just as well.
He conquered life’s hurdles, and now you see
He’s a VIP in the community.
(All) He conquered life’s hurdles so perfectly
That he’s taught us all a lesson in liberty!
(Solo) When you judge a person on the basis of sex
You use a very narrow and warped index.
Lesbians and gays are in every field
And their human rights can never be repealed.
(All) And they are your children and your uncles and your friends,
(Left) And your pastors and your bankers—
(Right) And the captains of oil tankers—
(Left) And your lawyers and your doctors—
(Right) And your tight ends and your blockers—
(All) And your sisters and your cousins—
Whom you number by the dozens—
And your aunts!
Free to sing, share, and print with credit to Monica Zucker and the Seattle Raging Grannies. Not for sale. raginggrannies.org