BALLAD OF TINY TIM

He bought Lady Esther cold cream
At the Woolworths store
Believed in cleanliness and Jesus
He had comic books galore
He idolized the Dodgers
And crooners from the Edison years
When Liz Taylor blew him a kiss
It moved him to tears

May he be remembered
May his song be sung Once more
God Bless Tiny Tim
The Tragic Troubadour

Being fond of classic beauty
Tiny loved to serenade
He had his pick of classic gems
On the hit parade
Dropping out and tuning in
To radio adventure shows
His first love was a song
Called Beautiful Ohio

With long hair and white face
This walking comic strip
Got his break on Laugh In
And sang Tiptoe Thru the Tulips
"At least it wasn't watermelons"
He said
When they threw rotten tomatoes
Forty million watched him wed
On the Tonight Show

Tiny stayed at Bob Dylan's place
And played some Rudy Vallee songs
Dylan offered him a banana
But Tiny had brought
His own fruit along


At the Isle of Wight Tiny opened up
With a number from '29
"I'm always high up in the hills"
Went the songs' first line
The crowd cheered
And the London Times
Said "Tiny Tim Stole the Show"
"It was like bringing a 78 record
Into the world of stereo"

The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
Saw Mr. Tim at Royal Albert Hall
At Ceasars Palace he made a pile
And then like always
He lost it all

He passed away on Saturday
November 30 '96
Playing at the Women's Club
A benefit in Minneapolis
The ukelele and shopping bag
All the kisses that he had blown
Gone is the most misunderstood
Performer ever known

© 1999 Stefan des Lauriers