An ode to loneliness

It was a dark and stormy night. A sense of foreboding hung heavy in the air, like a souffle that wouldn't rise. The goldfish shifted restlessly in their bowl. In the distance, a butterfly screamed....

* * * * *

Today was student loan day, and the first day back at uni after the Easter holidays, so the pub where I work was understandably busy tonight. Despite the blatant predictability of this, the management had rota'd on only a skeleton staff. (Sadly not actual skeletons for staff - that would have made the night so much more interesting!) For two hours, O was on his own in the kitchen, so to cheer him up (OK, to entertain myself) I sang as many songs as I could possibly think of about being alone or lonely. He seemed to appreciate it.

All by myself, written by Eric Carmen

On my own from Les Miserables

Lonely by Akon (or, of course, the Slugs from Flushed Away!)

The second verse of A Case of You by Joni Mitchell (which is one of my favourite songs ever)

You are not alone by Michael Jackson

You're not alone by Olive, obviously, since I am old enough to remember the original and like it much better than Tinchy Stryder's version.

Alone by Heart

Blue Moon, originally written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934