William Finn - The Ballad of Jack Eric Williams (And Other 3-Named Composers) lyrics

[WILLIAM FINN, spoken] Shelter Island! Summer of 2000 (sung) Ricky Ian Gordon You asked me to write you a lyric You said either story, song, or hymns But your three names remind me of our friend: Jack Eric Williams Jack! Hey, Ricky! How did he die?- Wait, let me begin Yes, I know though diabetic He forgot to take his insulin But, he forgot [RICKY] Do you really think he forgot? [FINN] Or was he simply distraught? For a million reasons why And what he wanted he got And he wanted to die! He could write circles around everybody Well, around me anyway But as Jack Eric Williams would constantly say: He wasn't the fashion of the day Were you sick of hearing that? I was sick of hearing that! I took it very personally I thought he was attacking me Anyway, I miss him And I miss his inappropriateness, too How fat was he? It seems he just grew and grew and grew and grew And did you ever see him eat, Ricky? Did you ever see him chew? Did you ever see him bite? That's what I call an appetite If he'd only lived a little longer If he'd only lived a little longer, Ricky With his great musical ear And cranky elusive pa**ion Our boy Jack, I think Would have finally been in fashion Is the kind of lyric you wanted, Ricky? Now, if you hate it, I'll write you another lyric, Ricky Ricky, are you still there? And at his memorial service Were you there? Were you there? Everyone was saying how Jack had never received the acclaim he deserved Which of course I believed, but more quietly reserved And at the end of the service I was talking to Quentin Crisp And he said "I never understood his music." (spoken) There were gasps in the crowd. People fainted on the floor (sung) "I never understood why the melodies went where they went It's all a crime, it's gone so wrong But, I never understood his song." And then I started laughing No, not a little tee-hee But a laugh from the belly Which confounded even me I said, "I must disagree." Ricky! I didn't know what to say So I said "Jack Eric Williams doesn't seem to be The fashion of the day." [BOTH] If he had only lived a little longer If he'd only lived a little longer, Ricky [RICKY] Oooh [FINN] His great musical ear And his cranky elusive pa**ion Our boy Jack, I think Would've finally been [BOTH] In fashion [FINN] That's all the news from Shelter Island Though it's not exactly news Give my best to all the three-named composers! Including, especially, you We should all remember to take our insulin Love, William Alan Finn