Forget mandates, a song will bring them in!
It never occurred to me to ask why people aren’t singing more songs about infection—but Slate’s William Weir is all over this, with an interesting piece that includes audio clips from songs about influenza, meningitis, plague and TB. For example, here are the lyrics from “Influenza”, recorded by Ace Johnson in 1939:Influenza is a disease, makes you weak all in your knees
’Tis a fever everybody sure does dread
Puts a pain in every bone, a few days and you are gone
To a place in the ground called the grave
And definitely check out the clip from “Jesus is Coming Soon”, by Blind Willie Johnson. Play that at your staff meetings and just watch them all roll up their sleeves!
Photo: Blind Willie Johnson, public domain image from Wikipedia
Sorry to see Bob Dylan's Legionnaire's disease didn't make the article - though it is more about causation than symptoms. Maybe there is still a chance to write on histoplasmosis lyrics
ReplyDeleteSome say it was radiation, some say there was acid on the microphone,
Some say a combination that turned their hearts to stone,
But whatever it was, it drove them to their knees.
Oh, Legionnaire's disease.
I wish I had a dollar for everyone that died within that year,
Got 'em hot by the collar, plenty an old maid shed a tear,
Now within my heart, it sure put on a squeeze.
Oh, that Legionnaire's disease.
Granddad fought in a revolutionary war, father in the War of 1812,
Uncle fought in Vietnam and then he fought a war all by himself,
But whatever it was, it came out of the trees.
Oh, that Legionnaire's disease.