Happy Birthday, Abie Baby

Today I celebrated a birthday with a a friend who shares her birthday with Kentucky-born President Abraham Lincoln. The original plan was to go to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site near Hodgenville, Kentcuky. That’s about an hour drive from Louisville and we thought it would be neat to celebrate two birthdays—her's and Abe's—at the place where he was born.

Happy birthday, Abie baby,
Happy birthday to you

As it is with mice and men, we didn’t make it to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site near Hodgenville, so we did the celebrating here in Louisville. Still—all day—that song, Happy Birthday, Abie Baby, from the rock musical Hair has been going through my head! It will not stop!

So, I figured I might as well sing along and dug out an old cassette tape of the Broadway production and have been listening and singing along all evening. Ya'll wanna sing along?

Yes, I's finished on y'all farm land with yo' boll weevils and all,
and pluckin' y'all's chickens, fryin' mother's oats in grease.
I'sfree now, thanks to yo', Massa Lincoln, emancipator of the slaves.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, emanci-mother-fuckin-pator of the slaves.

Four scoreI said four score and seven years ago
Oh sock it to 'em baby, you're sounding better all the time!
Our forefathers, I mean all our forefathers
Brought forth upon this here continent a new nation
Concieved, conceived like we all was
In liberty, and dedicated to the one I love
I mean dedicated to the proposition
That all men, honey, I tell you all men
Are created equal

Happy birthday, Abie baby,
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, Abie baby,
Happy birthday to you

Bang!

Bang? Ha ha.
Shit, I'm not dying for no white man.

(Tell it like it is, baby.)