Music Blog

Remembering Roberta

Nancy's Notes šŸ–ŠļøšŸŽ¶

Written for Song Lyric Sunday. This week Jim Adams has asked his
readers to choose a song that makes them think about life. Here’s mine.

To talk about my featured song, I first need to tell you about my friend, Roberta. She and I had been friends since our sons attended nursery school together, some 44 years ago. Even back then in her early 30s, Roberta had a shock of gorgeous silver-white hair that was always perfectly yet casually coiffed. Just like my grandmother, Robertaā€™s hair color changed when she was in her 20s and I never saw her with a different color or style.

Robertaā€™s laugh was one of a kind ā€¦. some might call it a cackle ā€¦. and you heard her long before you saw her! She rarely took life too seriously and was very forthcoming with her opinions, whether you wanted to hear them or not. I guess you could call her a ā€˜free spiritā€™; she lived very much in the moment, often arriving late for appointments because she ran into someone who needed a friend to talk to.

There was never any doubt where you stood with Roberta. If she was pissed off about something, you knew it. Sheā€™d speak her mind, clear the air and never mention the issue again. Done and forgotten. But not just forgotten ā€¦. forgiven as well. She didnā€™t hold a grudge; I always thought that was an admirable trait. And she didnā€™t lie. If anything, she was too honest and her ā€˜bluntnessā€™ could turn people off. She really didnā€™t care what people thought about her; life was not a popularity contest. As I said, people always knew exactly how Roberta felt.

She was a devout Catholic, attending Mass every weekend, but she was never showy about it. Roberta and her husband Martin were in charge of the churchā€™s food pantry ā€¦. collecting food for families in need ā€¦. and not just during the holidays or when a crisis hit but every day of the year …. however, the holidays were very important to Roberta, especially Christmas. That was when she amped up the drive for food, clothes and gifts for needy families in the area, especially the children. In all the years I knew Roberta, I donā€™t remember anyone else heading up the food pantry except her. She and Martin were special people, far from saints but doing Godā€™s work in an unassuming way.

It came as a terrible blow to everyone when Roberta became dangerously ill almost overnight in August 2014 and was diagnosed with West Nile Virus (for which there is no vaccine or cure although most people recover with proper care). Roberta had an extremely virulent case and within days she lapsed into a coma and never regained consciousness. At one point, she was the only documented case of “death by West Nile Virus” in Westchester County, NY.

The day I visited Roberta at the nursing home was one I will never forget. Had it not been for her name on the door and her glorious mane of white hair, I would not have recognized my longtime friend; the virus left her body terribly swollen, facial features almost fused together. I sat by her bedside, held her hand and sang a song I had sung many times before. And as I sang to my friend, I saw her eyelid barely flutter and her finger quiver ever so slightly and no one will ever convince me that she was unaware of my presence. Four months later, during Christmas week, Roberta died. It was the perfect time for her to take her leave.

The song I sang to my friend that day in the nursing home was ā€œWhat A Wonderful Worldā€.

According to Wikipedia, “What A Wonderful World” was written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released as a single in 1967. In April 1968, it topped the pop chart in the UK but performed poorly in the United States because the president of ABC Records disliked the song’s arrangement and refused to promote it. (Thereā€™s more on Wiki about that and itā€™s pretty interesting.) After the song was heard in the 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam, it was reissued as a single in 1988 and rose to #32 on the Billboard Hot 100. Louis Armstrong’s recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Every time I hear this song, I remember Roberta and our last visit together. This is ā€œWhat A Wonderful Worldā€ by Louis Armstrong.

LYRICS

I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, “How do you do?”
They’re really saying
I love you

I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more
Than I’ll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Ooh, yes

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: George David Weiss/Robert Thiele
What a Wonderful World lyrics Ā© BMG Rights Management, Concord Music Publishing LLC, Kanjian Music, Tratore

Existential Thoughts

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week. Be sure to follow the link and check out Jimā€™s site.

Thanks for stopping by. See you on the flip side. šŸ˜Ž

NARĀ©2024

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantā€™s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NARĀ©2017-present.

59 thoughts on “Remembering Roberta”

  1. Roberta was a remarkable woman and I’m sorry for your loss, Nancy!šŸŒ¹(I found this after reading your comment on my own friendship story). These types of long-term friendships are so rare, so beautiful, and so heartbreaking for the survivor. šŸ’” I’m sure Roberta sensed your presence when you sang that moving song to her!

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    1. Roberta was a good friend; we saw eye to eye on many things. She could rub a lot of people the wrong way with her blunt honesty but we got along well. She had a good sense of humor and we respected each other. It was my honor to sing to her that day.

      Thank you, Michele. I appreciate your comments tonight. I did a fair amount of walking today and am now fighting off a pain jag. I fear it may be a long night. šŸ˜ž

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  11. Nancy your story of Roberta brought tears to my eyes. How lucky you and others were to have such a wonderful friend in your circle. Reading the lyrics and imagining you singing those words to her in the nursing home did make the tears flow this morning. You have touched many of us with your beautiful post. Thank you for sharing your story ā˜ŗļøā¤ļø

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  13. What a beautiful woman she was. I am so sorry for your loss. It’s damn hard to lose a close friend. She is well remembered by you.

    How this song was not immediately in the top from the get, is beyond me.

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  18. A wonderful tribute, Nancy … your story made me teary-eyed, and then your finale had me smiling … maybe you might like this version from two old friends, Nick Cave and the ‘late’ Shane McGowan … šŸŒšŸ’•

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  19. A wonderful tribute. We should all be so fortunate to have a friend like Roberta.
    And I should be so lucky to have a friend write/remember one tiny nice thing about me when I go.

    Making my “nice things todo” list right now. (not being funny .. serious!)

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      1. I think too often we try to hide sad, but itā€™s part of lifeā€¦. I am beginning to feel we should feel safe to share the dark, it will lighten us and let us enjoy so much more ā€¦. Yes we do .. šŸ™šŸ»

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