It was just a cold night. Pitch darkness and no moon, full or otherwise. No light ‘cept for the burning planets a million miles away in the sky. And the growing blaze of a young campfire.
“Go on and grab ya a daggone instrument over there, dude,” said Mabus to the friend of a friend. A case of lethologica momentarily seized him, but he said it anyway. “It’s good to haveya here, Bob!”
“Thanks, Mabe, but it’s Lanny. Here via yer old buddy Jackson.”
“It’s good to haveya here, Lanny,” Mabe replied. “What’s yer poison tonight? You play git-tar, banjo er what?”
Lanny walked up to Mabe and gave him a fist-bump. “Mabe, my man, you got just some fine instruments. Reckon I’ll have to see when I get over there!” He turned around and chuckled. “I’m like a kid in a candystore. It’s all good!!!”
Mabe reached down beside him, grapped a couple of smaller logs, and tossed them on the fire. His next move was for the long blowpoke he brought on the trip. He leaned forward, positioned the poke, and exerted a mighty exhalation into the base of the fire.
“That’s it.” He leaned back in his campchair and took a big swig from his Bud long-neck bottle. Satisfied.
“The hell’s goin’ on here, boys?” Jackson and Bill cried out, appearing suddenly out of the shadows.
“Been waitin’ on you two dumbos,” cackled Mabe. ” ‘Bout time!”
“Sorry Mabe,” said Bill. “We’ve been back there on the phone talkin’ to the wife and kids. Ya know, gettin’ it out of the way.”
“Nah, I ain’t know,” muttered Mabe. “Hey Lanny, hand me one of the git-tars, wouldya? I’ll take the one you ain’t playin’.”
Lanny snagged the Taylor and grabbed the Martin D-28 Standard Dreadnought for Mabe. “I’ll be strummin’ on this bad boy,” thought Lanny. He then proceeded across the dancing-flame lit foreground to hand the Martin to Mabe.
“Why, thankya!” said Mabe.
Jackson and Bill were next at the instrument landing. They had brought theirs: Jackson his mandolin and Bill his banjo. They eagerly walked to the fire circle and took their seats.
“So Jackson tells me you’ve been working on somethin’, Mabe!” said Lanny
“Little bit,” said Mabe. “Ain’t much.”
“Well alright now, boys. Let’s get on after it,” said Jackson.
These guys were pretty much seasoned pickers if ever there were any. It really didn’t matter if they had heard or played a song together. In this case, they would just follow Mabe’s lead.
“Ah-ight then, boys,” said Mabe. “Let’s go. This one here’s called Ol’ Jim Booker.“
“A-one, and a-two, and a one, two, three, four.”
“There once was a man, name o’ Ol Jim Booker. Sal was his gal, though she wudn’t much a looker. Said he’d love her yes he would until his dyin’ day. And to leave her any time well there’d be no dang way!”
The boys looked around, up, and down. They grinned and laughed and commenced to dig into this song.
Mabe was there with the lead.
“Now they say Ol’ Jim, well he used to be so young. It was only just his A-game that he never had brung. But he sure did love the ladies, oh yes indeed he did. He had loved ’em ever since he was a little ol’ kid.”
“Sal came along one day and swept him out his shoes. Now she was young and sweet and she sure talked nice. She was the one for him and he’d never have to choose. Oh yeah she sure was, wouldn’t have to ask twice.”
They followed this line and sang the chorus together.
“There once was a man, name o’ Ol’ Jim Booker. Sal was his gal, though she wudn’t much a looker. Said he’d love her yes he would until his dyin’ day. And to leave her any time well there’d be no dang way!”
The four of ’em then tore into a three minute instrumental.
“So Ol’ Jim he followed her to the country dance. And figured it was there perchance he’d forsake ‘er. And it was there he saw her with a guy named Lance, and he thought “Well then, I guess I’ll have to snake ‘er.”
“Now ol’ Sal she looked right cute, twirlin’ in that dress. And she sure did seem mighty fond of Lance. Well Ol’ Jim walked right up to him wantin’ a yes, and said “Ya know I was wonderin’ if I might have this dance.”
Bill signaled for a solo chorus and commenced to pickin’ his banjo.
“There once was a man, name o’ Ol’ Jim Booker. Sal was his gal, though she wudn’t much a looker. Said he’d love her yes he would until his dyin’ day. And to leave her any time well there’d be no dang way!”
They all kept strummin’ and pickin’ for all they were worth.
Mabe continued.
“Ol’ Jim, well he sure was a snake, alright. He put his arm around her and they walked into the night.”
“They got outside and walked along right fast. There was something that they had and they knew that it could last. They strolled along in silence and could smell the morning dew. “I just love ya,” blurted Jim. And Sal said, “I just love you, too.”
“There once was a man, name o’ Ol‘ Jim Booker. Sal was his gal, though she wudn’t much a looker. Said he’d love her yes he would until his dyin’ day. And to leave her any time well there’d be no dang way!”
They all played for a couple more minutes, knowing that a righteous instrumental would surely enrich the end of the tune.
Mabe played down to the last note and said, “That was right good there, boys. I ‘preciate ya. Now getcha another colber!”
Lanny, Jackson, and Bill all went on and on about how much they liked the song and they all four wholeheartedly agreed how they were now good and warmed up.
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