Sunday, 7 December 2025

Birthday

Today Tom Waits and I complete 76 years on this Earth. I've written a song for the occasion – it goes to the tune of 'Seventy-Six Trombones' –

Seventy-six years old, and I'm feeling fine,
Seventy-six years old, and I'm glad – 
And when I've lived eight more, I'll be all of eighty-four,
And the prospect doesn't seem half bad.
etc.

All yours, Tom. 

Others, especially those afflicted with a tender conscience, have taken their birthdays rather more seriously. Take the seventeenth-century nonconformist cleric Philip Henry (whose father had the delightful job title Keeper of the Orchard at Whitehall Palace)...

'He was born at White-hall, in Westminster, on Wednesday, August 24, 1631. being Bartholomew-day. I find usually in his Diary, some pious Remark or other upon the Annual Return of his Birth-day: As in one Year he notes, that the Scripture mentions but two who observed their Birth-day with Feasting and Joy, and they were neither of them Copies to be written after: viz. π‘ƒβ„Žπ‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘œβ„Ž, Gen. 40.20. and π»π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘‘, Mat. 14.6. 𝐡𝑒𝑑 (saith he) 𝐼 π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘π‘ π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘£π‘’ 𝑖𝑑 π‘Žπ‘  π‘Ž π·π‘Žπ‘¦ π‘œπ‘“ π‘€π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘›π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π»π‘’π‘šπ‘–π‘™π‘–π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›, π‘π‘’π‘π‘Žπ‘’π‘ π‘’ π‘ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘π‘’π‘› 𝑖𝑛 πΌπ‘›π‘–π‘žπ‘’π‘–π‘‘π‘¦, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘π‘’π‘–π‘£π‘’π‘‘ 𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑖𝑛. And when he had completed the Thirtieth Year of his Age, he noted this, π‘†π‘œ π‘œπ‘™π‘‘, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘›π‘œ π‘œπ‘™π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ, Alexander π‘€π‘Žπ‘ , π‘€β„Žπ‘’π‘› β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘žπ‘’π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘”π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘Žπ‘‘ π‘Šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘™π‘‘, 𝑏𝑒𝑑 (saith he) 𝐼 β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’ π‘›π‘œπ‘‘ 𝑦𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑏𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑑 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ 𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 π‘Šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘™π‘‘, π‘šπ‘¦ 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓. At his Thirty third Year he hath this Humble Reflection; 𝐴 π‘™π‘œπ‘›π‘” π‘‘π‘–π‘šπ‘’ 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 π‘‘π‘œ π‘ π‘šπ‘Žπ‘™π‘™ π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘π‘œπ‘ π‘’, π‘Šβ„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘™π‘™ 𝐼 π‘‘π‘œ π‘‘π‘œ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘‘π‘’π‘’π‘š 𝑖𝑑? And at another, 𝐼 π‘šπ‘Žπ‘¦ π‘€π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘› π‘Žπ‘  πΆπ‘Žπ‘’π‘ π‘Žπ‘Ÿ 𝑑𝑖𝑑 π‘€β„Žπ‘’π‘› β„Žπ‘’ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘“π‘™π‘’π‘π‘‘π‘’π‘‘ π‘’π‘π‘œπ‘› 𝐴𝑙𝑒π‘₯π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ'𝑠 π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘™π‘¦ π΄π‘β„Žπ‘–π‘’π‘£π‘’π‘šπ‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘ , π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘œπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘ , π‘¦π‘œπ‘’π‘›π‘”π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘› 𝐼 π‘Žπ‘š, β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’ π‘‘π‘œπ‘›π‘’ π‘šπ‘’π‘β„Ž π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘› 𝐼 β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’ π‘‘π‘œπ‘›π‘’ π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ πΊπ‘œπ‘‘, π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ πΊπ‘œπ‘‘ π‘œπ‘“ π‘šπ‘¦ 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒. And (to mention no more) when he had lived Forty two Years, he thus writes; 𝐼 π‘€π‘œπ‘’π‘™π‘‘ 𝑏𝑒 π‘™π‘œπ‘Žπ‘‘β„Ž π‘‘π‘œ 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑑 π‘œπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘Žπ‘”π‘Žπ‘–π‘›, 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑑 π‘–π‘›π‘ π‘‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘‘ π‘œπ‘“ π‘šπ‘Žπ‘˜π‘–π‘›π‘” 𝑖𝑑 π‘π‘’π‘‘π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ 𝐼 π‘ β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘™π‘‘ π‘šπ‘Žπ‘˜π‘’ 𝑖𝑑 π‘€π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘ π‘’, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠, π‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘Œπ‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π·π‘Žπ‘¦ 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑 π‘œπ‘› πΈπ‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘β„Ž 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 π»π‘’π‘Žπ‘£π‘’π‘›. This last Note minds me of a Passage I have heard him tell of a Friend of his, who being grown into Years, was asked how old he was, and answer'd, 𝑂𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘€π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘›π‘” 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 π‘œπ‘“ 𝐹𝑖𝑓𝑑𝑦: Which (said Mr. Henry) he should not have said; for if he was going to Heaven, it was the π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘ side of Fifty.'
— 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐑𝐞𝐰 π‡πžπ§π«π², 𝐴𝑛 π΄π‘π‘π‘œπ‘’π‘›π‘‘ π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π·π‘’π‘Žπ‘‘β„Ž π‘œπ‘“ π‘€π‘Ÿ. π‘ƒβ„Žπ‘–π‘™π‘–π‘ π»π‘’π‘›π‘Ÿπ‘¦, π‘€π‘–π‘›π‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ πΊπ‘œπ‘ π‘π‘’π‘™ π‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿ π‘Šβ„Žπ‘–π‘‘π‘’π‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘β„Ž 𝑖𝑛 π‘†β„Žπ‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘π‘ β„Žπ‘–π‘Ÿπ‘’, π‘Šβ„Žπ‘œ 𝐷𝑦'𝑑 𝐽𝑒𝑛𝑒 24, 1696, 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ 𝑆𝑖π‘₯𝑑𝑦 πΉπ‘–π‘“π‘‘β„Ž π‘Œπ‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘“ 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝐴𝑔𝑒 (1698). 

Well, there'll be none of that chez Nige...
at

4 comments:

  1. Gretchen Joanna8 December 2025 at 01:51

    Very thought-provoking. But I find no conflict between "This is the day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it." (even the day of my birthday) and "Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." And then, "In everything give thanks." Philip seems to have been an Eeyore type of personality.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nige8 December 2025 at 11:23

      I agree, Joanna – I find no conflict either. I think there's a sense in which the more you enjoy and are thankful for life, the less you fear death. The inverse of that is Bob Dylan's 'poor immigrant, who passionately hates his life, and likewise fears his death'.

      Delete
  2. George8 December 2025 at 02:19

    In the spoken introduction to one of his songs, Tom Lehrer said, "When Mozart was my age, he had been dead for ten years." Lehrer then lived another sixty or so, dying this summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nige8 December 2025 at 11:20

      Yes, he made it to 97, didn't he? An amazing life, and an amazing talent.

      Delete