Apologies to Johnny Cash

Mike W. inspired me during a 10 mile sweat-fest run yesterday (I lost 6.2 pounds, a 10k!). He began singing the Johnny Cash song, "I Hear the Train a Comin'", and talking about the man in black since I had on a black shirt, shorts and running shoes. In honor of my Alabama daughter Andrea, who recently began running and found out she unfortunately shares a trait of mine, I changed a few lyrics around and came up with this song. Start humming the tune and it will make some sense.

I hear the bear a comin'
It's rollin' 'round the bend,
There’s been too much ‘bama sunshine,
Since, I don't know when,
I'm stuck in this road race,
And time keeps draggin' on,
But that bear keeps a-rollin',
On down to Homewood town.

When I was just a baby,
My Mama told me, "daughter,
Always be a good girl,
Don't ever run like Dad,
He sounds like a bear
And scares the neighborhood”.
But I ran a race in Clanton,
Just to see how fast I was,
And I heard that bear a blowin',
And saw the runners scatter to the woods.

I knew it wasn’t on purpose,
Why Dad ran that way,
He couldn’t help himself,
And the noise that he made,
But now I do the same,
It doesn’t seem so bad,
Those people just keep a-movin',
Away from me.

Well, if I finish this race,
If the bear comes out in me,
I bet I'd move up a little
In finishing time and place,
Far from first or last,
That's where I’ll probably stay,
Kind of like Dad,
And that’s okay with me.