thisiswhoweare

My grandfather, my Papa, William Aloysius "Bill" Donnelly passed away this afternoon at the ripe old age of 85. He was my favorite person in the entire world, and my best friend. When I was 16, he and I spent 2 1/2 weeks together on a sailboat cruising around the Bahamas. No other family, just the two of us. He'd laugh and tell me stories about how he met my grandma, about life in the Navy in WWII, or about exploring the South Pole with Admiral Byrd. It was the best time of my life. He was always singing a song, shuffling a little dance, and just being as charming as a human being can possibly be. Everyone who ever met him loved him, and the world, although gray today for his passing, is a better place because he was here.

I love you Papa...


Papa and Emma Lowe Burgess (Donnelly) on their wedding day, both in their Navy uniforms during WWII.

"The Likes Of You Again"

Here's to you, I sing for my daddy-o
As I lay him down to sleep
It's been so long, since I lost my daddy-o
Hope he's watchin' over me

Wednesday night is mornin' now
As I'm walkin' in the rain
The birds are screaming in my ear
Drivin' me insane

Half the clouds are empty
So the sun burst through the sky
The puddles show reflection
Of a face about to die

Just around the corner,
I was goin' round the bend
I ran into a staggerin' fool
Who said he knew my name

He poured himself a whiskey
And his face began to glow
Two men without an answer
Like a dog without a bone

Bringin' in the new year
As the bells began to ring
Fats is in the corner, she's just about to sing
Time to get another, before the final shout
You should have heard them roarin'
When they dragged the bugger out
And we'll never see the likes of you again

Jimbo came from slummin' town
A cold and dreary place
To summerland he found himself
The sun shun on his face

Met a girl called Minnie Pearl
Swore she'd always be his girl
Happy ever after, till the tide ran out again

Pour me all your sorrows
And I'll drink till you are dry
I'll love you in the mornin'
Christ, I'll love ya till you die

I'll never leave so never grieve
I'll be back before ya know
But Jimbo fell into a well
And never rambled home

Carried all his troubles in an unforgivin' bag
Back and forth through painted brick

The colours all seemed bland
I've traveled all these years, he said
To only get this far, so he crossed the street
Found a seat, his home is now a bar

And we'll never see the likes of you again
No we'll never see the likes of you again

There must be more to life, than this poxie life
All the agro, all the pain

So he disappeared into his final beer
But the glass was empty, once again, again, again

Woke up in an awful state
Dreamt I was at Peter's Gate
Beggin' for his mercy
And the crimes that were at hand

He told me he was much amused
To see this life I had abused
Best be on your way, but have a swig before you go

So I'm bringing in the New Year
As the bells began to ring
Fat's in the corner, she's just about to sing
Time to get another, before the final shout
You should have heard them roarin'
When they dragged the bugger out

And we'll never see the likes of you again
No we'll never see the likes of you again
No we'll never see the likes of you again