Karaoké Mr. Tanner Harry Chapin

Mister tanner was a cleaner from a town in the Midwest

And of all the cleanin' shops around he'd made his the best

He also was a baritone who sang while hangin' clothes

He practiced scales while pressin' tails and sang at local shows

His friends and neighbors praised the voice that poured out from his throat

They said that he should use his gift instead of cleanin' coats

But music was his life

It was not his livelihood

And it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good

He sang from his heart and he sang from his soul

He did not know how well he sang

It just made him whole

His friends kept workin' on him to try music out full time

A big debut and rave reviews

A great career to climb

Finally they got to him

He would take the fling

A concert agent in New York agreed to have him sing

There were plane tickets

Phone calls

Money spent to rent the hall

It took most of his savings but he gladly used them all

But music was his life

It was not his livelihood

And it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good

He sang from his heart and he sang from his soul

He did not know how well he sang

It just made him whole

The evenin' came he took the stage

His face set in a smile

In the half filled hall the critics sat watchin' on the aisle

The concert was a blur to him

Spatters of applause

He did not know how well he sang

He only heard the flaws

But the critics were concise

It only took four lines

And no one could accuse them of bein' over kind

Mister Martin Tanner

A baritone of Dayton Ohio made his town hall debut last night

He came well prepared but unfortunately his presentation was not up to contemporary professional standards

His voice lacks the range and tonal color necessary to make it consistently interesting

Full time consideration of another endeavor might be in order

He came home to Dayton and was questioned by his friends

But he smiled and just said nothin' and he never sang again

Exceptin' very late at night when the shop was dark and closed

He sang softly to himself as he sorted through the clothes

But music was his life

It was not his livelihood

And it made him feel so happy

And it made him feel so good

And he sang from his heart

And he sang from his soul

He did not know how well he sang

It just made him whole