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Harii Bandhu: Tunes

My Father

(Harii Bandhu)
October 29, 2005
Harii Bandhu
On that day Oct 29, I still had not composed a song for Dad's big day. Here I was in downtown Kuala Lumpur, driving to the apartment of one of my cousins, so that I could get away from Mum & Dad to write it. The traffic was unbelievable and my knowledge of the city, scant to say the least. Lost? Well yes you could say that. The function was in a few hours and I still had to get to the venue for a sound check.

After an hour and a half (where it should have taken 40 min), I arrive and find my youngest brother stressing over his speech and pondering his course through the proceedings as he'd been nominated to be Master Of Ceremonies.

I made a half hearted attempt to convince my siblings that we should all get up and sing a reworked version of 'Danny Boy' (one of Dad's favourite songs) with lyrics relevant to the occasion but the suggestion was met with dead pan unenthusiastic expressions that were enough to halt any momentum in that direction.

Thus did I have to bite the bullet and dig deep, although I had been trying for some time to write this song but nothing had been forthcoming.

This kind of tradition had started when I wrote a song for my other brother's wedding, describing in some detail the magic of him meeting his wife, and it kind of seemed that for My Father's great day I should follow through.

Well it came out. Quite quickly in fact, and then ensued the great adventure through violent Kuala Lumpur traffic to find the bloody venue, which I chanced upon quite by accident at a point where I was on the verge of pronouncing myself absolutely lost. But there it is. The night was absolutely fantastic. The song was received most enthusiastically and all in all a lot of joy was experienced by everybody.

P.S. Just so everyone knows the Mongolian reference is to a particular mannerism that my Father would adopt when we were little. He would look very fierce and call himself the Mongolian, or one of Genghis Khan's warriors. And later when recounting to us experiences in his business life where perhaps he might have needed to assert himself, he would refer to himself as that 'Mongolian'.
My Father

It’s my Father’s
My Father’s,
It’s my father’s day.
We gather with our Mother,
Me, Tim, Jo and Fay.

He sits there.
He’s smiling,
For he’s feeling grand.
He lives all his days,
As no ordinary man.

It’s my Father’s day.
Raise glasses.
Clap and cheer for him.
Be thankful, be mirthful,
And say we’re proud of him.

He’s raised us.
He’s praised us.
He’s showed us how to live.
With all his blustering Mongolian manner,
He just wants to give.

So my father,
My father,
May your life be long and true,
Be happy, be peaceful,
And know that we,
Know that we …….
Love you.

Music & Lyrics - Harii Bandhu - Copyright 2005