1941
By Harry Nilsson
Well in 1941 a happy father had a son
And by 1944 the father walked right out the door
And in '45 the mom and son were still alive
But who could tell in '46 if the two were to survive
Well the years were passing quickly
But not fast enough for him
So he close his eyes through '55
And he opened them up again
When he looked around he saw a clown
And the clown seemed very gay
And he set that night to join that circus clown and run away
{Scat solo}
Well he followed every railroad track
An every highway sign
And he had a girl in each new town
And the towns he left behind
And the open road
Was the only road he knew
But the color of his dreams
Slowly turning into blue
The he met a girl the kind of girl
He wanted all his life
She was soft and kind and good to him
So he took her for a wife
And they got a house not far from town
And in a little while
The girl had seen the doctor
And she came home with a smile
Now in 1961 a happy father had a son
And by 1964 the father walked right out the door
And in '65 the mom and son were still around
But what will happen to the boy
When the circus comes to town?
Nilsson on 1941 -
'When I started '1941,' I wanted to write a song revolving around a number. So I
thought I'd write a song about a year. First I tried '1944.' It didn't work. Then I tried
'1941.' Yes, it clicked! Originally, I had planned it to be a war song.'
1941 ... The Movie ... (starring John Belushi) Producer David Puttnam was impressed by
Harry's song '1941' and asked writer Ray Connolly to create a screenplay based on it. The
resulting film, 'That'll Be the Day,' does not closely resemble the story in the song. It
is rumored that Harry made a cameo appearance in the film which may have ended up on the
cutting room floor.
