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A Prairie Home Companion Segment 8 for June 28, 2014
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40TH

I never wanted to be known for longevity.

Au contraire. I aimed for brevity.

A short brilliant tragically interrupted career

But instead it has gone on for forty years.

I wanted to be brief, dear heart,

Like Buddy Holly or Amelia Earhart,

A shooting star, a beautiful flash,

But my plane did not crash.

Which happens when you're having fun.

You are surprised to see the sun

Coming up in the east and everyone

Is gone and you've just begun.

Forty years. How did it start?

What do you remember?

I remember nothing. See you in September.