Hurdy Gurdy Man on Christmas Eve.

Before celebrating Christmas Eve with my family, I spent an hour listening to music at a coffee shop in Rochester called Stir Crazy. Prior to the musicians performing, the owner played a few selections from Sting's new Christmas CD. The song below was on it. This guitarist made me think of the Hurdy Gurdy Man.

"Hurdy Gurdy Man"

In the snow there
Stands a hurdy gurdy man
With his frozen fingers
Plays as best as he can

Barefoot on the ice
He shuffles to and fro
And his empty plate
It only fills with snow

No one wants to hear
His hurdy gurdy song
Hungry dogs surround him
And before too long

He will fall asleep
And then before too long
He’ll just let it happen,
Happen come what may

Play his hurdy gurdy
‘till his dying day,

Watching you, old man
I see myself in you
One day I will play
This hurdy gurdy too

Music by Franz Schubert, Poem by Wilhelm Muller, English adaptation by Sting