SLH4F RECEIVES A COMPLIMENT (OFFICIAL)

male vocals; Piano Klezmer, Ashkenazi melodies, syncopations, sudden jumps in tempo, echoes, reverbs, call-response, repeats, improvisations, solos, backup vocals, sound effects, high notes, uneven

[KLEZMER]
[bpm 200-220]
[FUNKY KLEZMER INTRO]

It began at 12:43 on Columbus and 83  
as he arranged a paperback pyramid  
in strict post-structuralist genre order.
(shalom)
Welcome back to SLH4F! 
And his adventures
Of the unbearably existential angst and klezmer.

[VERSE 1]  
A woman, mid-fifties, with a dog that wore glasses  
(Or perhaps she wore them, the memory collapses)  
Said to him, breezily, kindly, absurd:  
“You have… a nice smile.” 
wait, WHAT what?

[Pause.]

He blinked like an owl.  
Or a DMV printer....  ah? 
Unsure if it was flirtation  
or satire  
or worse…  
mercy!!!!

[CHORUS – Backup chorus enters, off-tempo]  
A sad and lonely human—  
[CLARINET: “You talking to him?”]  
Receiving what? Compliment?

[REFRAIN]
A sad and lonely human—
[piano repeats the phrase like an unsent email draft.]
A sad and lonely human—(still?)
Seeking freedom!

[VERSE 2 – Slightly faster, internal rhyme becomes obsessive]  
He smiled back—but too much. Then too little.  
He adjusted his collar (a post-war argyle riddled  
with holes and regret and one button from Versace).  
He muttered,  
“...this old thing?”  
(The shirt replied, “We both know you meant that.”)

[Clarinet laughs.]

[BRIDGE – Spoken over breathy piano]  
There were witnesses:  
Two teenage boys buying a chess clock for irony.  
A woman selling a porcelain cat with no head.  
A man who’s been haggling since Tuesday.
[REFRAIN]
A sad and lonely human—
[piano repeats the phrase like an unsent email draft.]
A sad and lonely human—seeking freedom! ideally of awkward social encounters...

[VERSE 3 – Music surges, clarinet arpeggios, nervous energy]  
He thought: should I offer her Nietzsche at half price?  
Should I ask about the dog?  
Should I say “you too”?  
What’s the protocol  
for being perceived  
and not immediately returned for store credit?

[CHORUS – Now echoing, call-and-response]  
[CHORUS:]  
A sad and lonely human  
[RESP:] Receiving a compliment  
[CHORUS:] He’s spiraling again  
[RESP:] Is it performative?!  
[CLARINET:] Is it transferable?!  
[VOICE (singing):] Can I trade it for validation with tags still on?
[VERSE 4 – Music slows to a glissando crawl]  
He thanked her.  
Too quietly.  
She was already crossing the street.  
Her dog turned and stared  
like someone who had also once received a kindness  
and didn’t know where to file it.

[OUTRO – Faint piano. Clarinet exits, muttering.]  
He folded the moment into a Ziploc bag  
and placed it between a copy of  Auntie Mame  (aaah!)
and a chipped saltshaker shaped like Trotsky (of course).

[Spoken:]  
He never wore that shirt again.

AND ALL OF THIS MADE PERFECT SENSE 
after another take in of that new Schindler's list remake on Hulu  
[Clarinet: one note, F#. Unresolved.]

[REFRAIN]
A sad and lonely human—
[piano repeats the phrase like an unsent email draft.]
A sad and lonely human—(still) seeking freedom

See y'all soon! Check out his YouTube channel. Which is imaginary? Maybe

[REFRAIN]
[REFRAIN]

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[KLEZMER] [bpm 200-220] [FUNKY KLEZMER INTRO] It began at 12:43 on Columbus and 83 as he arranged a paperback pyramid in strict post-structuralist genre order. (shalom) Welcome back to SLH4F! And his adventures Of the unbearably existential angst and klezmer. [VERSE 1] A woman, mid-fifties, with a dog that wore glasses (Or perhaps she wore them, the memory collapses) Said to him, breezily, kindly, absurd: “You have… a nice smile.” wait, WHAT what? [Pause.] He blinked like an owl. Or a DMV printer.... ah? Unsure if it was flirtation or satire or worse… mercy!!!! [CHORUS – Backup chorus enters, off-tempo] A sad and lonely human— [CLARINET: “You talking to him?”] Receiving what? Compliment? [REFRAIN] A sad and lonely human— [piano repeats the phrase like an unsent email draft.] A sad and lonely human—(still?) Seeking freedom! [VERSE 2 – Slightly faster, internal rhyme becomes obsessive] He smiled back—but too much. Then too little. He adjusted his collar (a post-war argyle riddled with holes and regret and one button from Versace). He muttered, “...this old thing?” (The shirt replied, “We both know you meant that.”) [Clarinet laughs.] [BRIDGE – Spoken over breathy piano] There were witnesses: Two teenage boys buying a chess clock for irony. A woman selling a porcelain cat with no head. A man who’s been haggling since Tuesday. [REFRAIN] A sad and lonely human— [piano repeats the phrase like an unsent email draft.] A sad and lonely human—seeking freedom! ideally of awkward social encounters... [VERSE 3 – Music surges, clarinet arpeggios, nervous energy] He thought: should I offer her Nietzsche at half price? Should I ask about the dog? Should I say “you too”? What’s the protocol for being perceived and not immediately returned for store credit? [CHORUS – Now echoing, call-and-response] [CHORUS:] A sad and lonely human [RESP:] Receiving a compliment [CHORUS:] He’s spiraling again [RESP:] Is it performative?! [CLARINET:] Is it transferable?! [VOICE (singing):] Can I trade it for validation with tags still on? [VERSE 4 – Music slows to a glissando crawl] He thanked her. Too quietly. She was already crossing the street. Her dog turned and stared like someone who had also once received a kindness and didn’t know where to file it. [OUTRO – Faint piano. Clarinet exits, muttering.] He folded the moment into a Ziploc bag and placed it between a copy of Auntie Mame (aaah!) and a chipped saltshaker shaped like Trotsky (of course). [Spoken:] He never wore that shirt again. AND ALL OF THIS MADE PERFECT SENSE after another take in of that new Schindler's list remake on Hulu [Clarinet: one note, F#. Unresolved.] [REFRAIN] A sad and lonely human— [piano repeats the phrase like an unsent email draft.] A sad and lonely human—(still) seeking freedom See y'all soon! Check out his YouTube channel. Which is imaginary? Maybe [REFRAIN] [REFRAIN]

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