Moby! The Musical, Part II.

This morning, while most of you were still sleeping, I had a 6:15 meeting with Cy Bliskin, the Broadway producer who is interested in the musical I'm writing "Moby! The Great White Whale meets the Great White Way."

Last we met was at Sardi's and I sang him the "Show Stopper," a little song I wrote (to be sung by the entire cast) called "Where's there's a Whale there's a Way." You can read about it here.

This morning we were due to meet, mostly so I could give him an update on how my writing is going. I decided to surprise him with a second song I had written: "Call Me Ishmael."

I brought a small electronic keyboard with me and set up in a corner of the Viand coffee shop on 86th and Second.

ISHMAEL:    Don't call me Dennis,

 No, don't call me Fred,

 Don't call me Vincent,

 Or Herman or Ted.

Don't call me Peter,

And don't call me Frank,
Don't call me Leslie,

Or William or Hank.

CHORUS:      Oh no?

                        Oh no?

ISHMAEL:    Call me the name

                        I got from my mother.

                        Call me that name,

                        And never another!

CHORUS:      What ho?

                        What ho?

ISHMAEL:    Oh no!

                        Call me Ishmael,

                        That’s my name!

                        Call me Ishmael,

                        I proclaim.

                        Though my Biblical namesake is infamous,

                        I am proud of us,

                        Call me Ishmael!

CHORUS:      He is Ishmael,

                        That’s his name.

                        He is Ishmael

                        We proclaim!

ISHMAEL:    Though my Biblical namesake is infamous,

                        I am proud of us,

                        Call me Ishmael!