Our 40th birthday cruise was a celebration of both my birthday and my wife’s (both of which fall in December) but her actual birthday fell during the trip.
Yesterday’s Schooner Bar clip was from the night of her birthday, after we had enjoyed a lovely dinner in one of the cruise’s “premium” restaurants. I tend to think it’s a scam to make people pay extra for food on a cruise for which all of the meals are supposed to be included, but the ambiance (only five other tables in our dining room as opposed to a hundred) made it worth it.
However, the most memorable moment of my wife’s birthday actually came the night before. We were listening to our pal Paul O’Shea at the Schooner Bar waiting for midnight to roll around and she leaned in to ask him if he’d sing to her at the top of the hour.
He agreed (and now seems like a good time to reveal that my wife had a mad crush on Mr. O’Shea, so this was a special moment for her). At the magic hour, he led the audience through the Birthday Song, then asked her for a request.
She picked ‘Desperado,’ a song so good that even I — an avowed Eagles hater — love it. I didn’t capture O’Shea’s performance, so I’ll hit you up with a little Linda Ronstadt.
You’ve been out ridin’ fences
for so long now
Ohh you’re a hard one
I know that you’ve got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Can hurt you somehow
Don’t you draw the queen of diamonds boy
She’ll beat you if she’s able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones
That you can’t get
Desperado,
Ohhhh you ain’t getting no younger
Your pain and your hunger,
They’re driving you home
And freedom, ohh freedom.
Well that’s just some people talking
Your prison is walking through this world all alone
Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine.
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
And you’re losing all your highs and lows
ain’t it funny how the feeling goes
away…
Desperado,
Why don’t you come to your senses?
come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you
(let sombody love you)
You better let somebody love you…ohhh..
before it’s too..oooo.. late
Meet Me In Montauk 
Great story, and I’ve always loved this song. Dana used to perform in back in the day, so I can also appreciate how wonderful a live rendition can be.
A great story indeed, and a great song for Alex to request.
For the life of me, I will never understand your dislike of the Eagles. The only songs of theirs that I don’t care for are those penned and sung by Glenn Frey. The ones featuring Henley and Walsh are generally pretty great.
Oh, and I still can be heard playing Desperado on my home piano, though it won’t be as good as Henley or probably Mr. O’Shea.😄
I disagree. There is not much better in life than hearing you play Desparado on your piano at home. (Unless it’s you playing and singing, “Amy”! 🙂
Great story! Sounds like the perfect birthday moments 🙂
My favorite night of the trip and an excellent way to turn 40.