The repercussions of the COVID pandemic still reverberate, and will continue for the foreseeable future. With much controversy after the fact of mandates, resultant loss of freedoms, weighing how much personal freedom outweighs the health of the populace, the list goes on.
There is no controversy on the sorrow and loss perpetuated by COVID. Argument continues concerning accuracy the actual death count attributable to COVID, but the glaring fact is that many, many people suffered physically, some to the point of death or debilitating lingering symptoms. The toll taken on those who survived is immeasurable. COVID has changed life and society. Moise McElroy echoes some of these in his haunting song 'The COVID Blues' .
Mr. McElroy is an anonymous side musician that plays in many bands and groups, and as a side musician for recordings of other artists. It was on a night when he was filling in for a musician that was ill that he first performed the song. One of our associates happened to be there that night, and he told us that during his performance the room was silent. The bar noise stopped, all the chatter in the tavern stopped, all attention was on the song and the lyrics. Afterwards, the silence continued as he stepped down from the stage and went to the bar for a drink. It wasn't until after he started to sip on his drink that the applause came long and loud. Our associate said he talked to Moise during the break, and offered up our studio to record him perform his song. At first he refused, but our associate is nothing if not persistent, and Moise relented.
The song is a haunting tale of how it was during the lock down, and how, after taking care of her children that all died, the mother herself died. Not of COVID, but the resultant depression and despair that the loss of her children caused. The song is essentially of a mother dying of a broken heart. Moise has said nothing about any other songs he has written, and evidently prefers to melt back into his anonymity as a side musician as he has not returned any of our calls for any possible future projects.
When the world went dark and time stood still
Empty streets with a silent chill
times of death and times of strife,
Man, outside was void of life.
Face in a mask with hope run dry
Times were tough that ain't no lie,
She wouldn't give in just flat refuse,
but then she caught the Covid blues.
World went dark with no more sight,
Empty streets a silent night,
Lots of dyin' oh can't ya see,
The grimness of reality.
Oh the COVID blues got her down
Nursin' family members in 'nother town
Turns out didn't matter anyway,
The ol' Covid, still got it's way.
Sons and a daughter she seen die,
Done her best to really try,
To keep tryin' not to lose,
Ain't no stoppin' the covid blues.
She laid down beside me I held her tight,
She felt like she'd lost all her fight.
She said felt like her soul was bruised,
She was gettin' the Covid blues.
Then late one night she started to shake,
So, so hard I thought she was gonna break,
She felt so cold then she turned blue,
Give it up, blame the covid blues
Oh the COVID blues got her down
To see her family dead in 'nother town,
Ain't no matter what ya'll say,
The ol' Covid, still had it's way.
In the cold, cold dirt I laid her down,
Covered her up with broken groun'
Don't matter how much I cry,
Ol' Covid blues, made her die.
Not many at the grave with so many dead,
Just me and one lone cousin said,
"What done her in, I need to know,
I tol' him, Covid blues, you know.
Now my days are empty, life itself
Feels all used up and stale on the shelf,
I feel all right physically,
but feels like somethin's comin' over me.
Covid blues, covid blues,
it took her, it’s true, it's true,
If I'm bein' honest, Wish it would’ve taken me too,
I'm doomed to feel all used,
Now I got the goddam COVID blues
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