Farwell Johnny Lee by Amanda K Bergan (Cover art by Rusell Frantom)

No music

Sometimes on a dark night I can see him light a cigarette and smile with a twinkle in his eye, then his ghost fades into the night.

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Johnny Lee Quimby was not just a homeless junkie

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But he was a friend to me.

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In his eyes I saw the love he shared with others

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And his ongoing generosity

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Johnny Lee Quimby roamed the streets of South Bend

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With a spoon in his hand

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Under a bridge he sat and took away the pain

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Just to live a life of freedom off the land.

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Weather amnesty was where he slept in solace

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Just to stay warm those winter nights.

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When the volunteer policeman served him a cup of soup,

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It helped to take the chill off his old cold bones.

Chorus

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He was just a guy with dreams and wishes who did no harm.

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He was not not just a man with a needle in his arm.

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He was once a friend to me.

Refrain

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He went to Woodstock as a young teenager

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And in his eyes I could see the boy.

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Nobody knew the real Johnny Lee Quimby

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As many loved him at the shelter

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And he was a friend to me.

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I used to call him Willie because he looked like mister Nelson

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And that used to make him smile.

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He saw Willie Nelson in concert more than a dozen times.

Repeat Chorus

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So who was Johnny Lee Quimby?

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Why did he die in hospice alone?

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Farwell to Johnny Lee Quimby

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God rest your soul in heaven now.

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Oh Johnny Lee Quimby you now found peace only in your late 50’s

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They have a special place for lonely junkies

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His spirit lives on in the streets of South Bend

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And you were more to me than you will ever know.