Bye, Bye, Peter Kelly Goodbye

Halifax musician Aaron Hartling channels Don McLean.

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Aaron Hartling

Musician Aaron Hartling, who goes by the name Heartbreak A Stranger, sends us the following recording he made, a remake of Don McLean's Bye-Bye American Pie, with lyrics about our own Peter Kelly:

bye-bye Peter Kelly Good-bye

Lyrics:

Bye, Bye Peter Kelly, Goodbye

(with apologies to Don Mclean)

A long, long time ago
I can still remember
How the Bedford mayor‚s whimsy made me smile
He fin‚ly saw he had one chance
To lead Halifax‚s council dance
And maybe keep them happy for awhile
Then February made him shiver
Each story that the Coast delivered
Put bad news on his doorstep
Outlining every mis-step
I don‚t know if the Mayor cried
When his approval rating took a dive
Or if something broke down deep inside
The day his chances died.

(Chorus)
Bye, bye, Peter Kelly, Goodbye
Your time is up as mayor
You‚ve been left by your bride
The Coast and all the citizens just want to know why
The probate court‚s decree you defied
As your reputation burned and died.

Did you write council‚s book of rules
In camera meetings? What a fool
The Coast reports your role
You still believed in rock n roll
And competing hard for Moncton‚s shows
But paying off promoters? That stuff blows
Well, you had to back up what you preach
You took a swim off Black Rock Beach
You just kicked off your shoes
Then stroked out past the ooze
I was a middle aged, tax paying man
I drove a rusty panel van
I wasn‚t an election fan
ŒTil the day his chances died
I started singing

(Chorus)
Bye, bye, Peter Kelly, Goodbye
Your time is up as mayor
You‚ve been left by your bride
The Coast and all the citizens just want to know why
The probate court‚s decree you defied
As your reputation burned and died.

I saw Tim Busquet on the news
He sang „the Peter Kelly Blues‰
And smiled in such a knowing way
So I turned on the CBC
They used to report on Channel three
But the man there ignored the news of the day
Now in the streets the people walk
The buses parked, the depot‚s locked
Not a word is spoken
The transit talks are broken
And the two men I admire the most,
MacKay and Dexter, looked like toast
They caught a chopper for the coast
The day his chances died
I started singing

(Chorus)
Bye, bye, Peter Kelly, Goodbye
Your time is up as mayor
You‚ve been left by your bride
The Coast and all the citizens just want to know why
The probate court‚s decree you defied
As your reputation burned and died.