soul train kids

it was june 1975
end of the school year
summer was one big long recess for kids
time to put away the failed math tests and break out the earth wind and
fire and ohiiiiiiiiohhhhhh players
shove those books and desks aside
cause you can bet your last money it was gonna be a stone cold gas on
the classroom floor
parrrrrrrrrt-tayyyyyy tiiiiimmmeeeee
don cornelius and shabby-doo had nothing on us fifth graders that was
for damn sure
we could boogie on down
we could boogie on down with the best of them
in 1975 old school music was new school in our school
you had to float float on
float on float on
it was red hot un-huh reh he he hedddddddd
just make my funk the p-funk I wants to get funked up
make my funk the p-funk I wants to get funked up
do you remember the 21st night of September….
as far as us soul train kids were concerned we could forget that month
for now
september sounded better when maurice white and phillip bailey sang it
didn't want to see or think about those back to school clothes at sears
yet
we were fueled by the red sugar rush of strawberry crush and hawaiian
punch
plus all kinds of salty laura scudders and lays and a big
old bag of cheetos
we may have been late in turning in our homework
but we were definitely not on the late freight with this real mother for yaaaaa

all of us got out of the teachers single file line and in two
sooooullll train lines
nancy did the football throwing a disco touchdown at the end of the line
alisha penguined her legs from side to side turning cool into cold
stephanie did the feel until she couldn’t feel anything
mark huntley and marcellus popping and locking it up
roger richards roboting in the room
and as for me
as for me
I did that kinda dance I saw one of those glittery soul train divas did
before the show was over and you heard the theme song
you know that song
doo doo doo dooo doooo doo doo
let’s get it onnnnnn it’s time to get down
one arm up
the other arm down swaying to a funked up beat
then I’d twirl and hop twirl and hop twirl hop twirl hop twirl hop down
that line
didn’t know the name of the dance
so what didn’t matter
you don’t dance to the beat
you don’t dance to the beat
the beat dances you
the beat dances you
THE BEAT DANCES YOU

we danced and got down with our bad selves until the teacher brought in
a big cake that penny mcgee’s mom bought for the party
we waited for that cake like the guest that got the party started
the teacher slowly sat the cake down on the table and opened the lid
as she opened it penny made a loud groaning noise
ahhh daaaanggg
a big old hunk of cake was cut out
the letters “MER” from the word summer--GONE
HAPPY SUM---the cake read now
there was only one person I knew who had the guts to do that
the principal of the school
if I were penny I’d be groaning too
casue I could not stand that woman
the principal didn’t know the principle of the thing

spinning one 33 after the other
from commodores to stevie’s innervisons to marvin gaye’s I want you
the soul train stayed in our station until it was time to get picked up
by our parents after school
end of school partying
you could bet your last money
it was a
STONE
COLD
GAS

PEACE
LOVE
& SOOOOOUUUUULLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!

Copyright 2012