This song brings back so many memories for me.
My dad, during a strike or lay-off, took a job delivering papers. On the weekends, when we had no school, he would sometimes let us go with him. He went during early morning hours, leaving about 2am. I remember riding in his old truck; everything so quiet because of snow falling or already on the ground. I remember stopping to get something hot to drink when we were finished delivering the papers. I should say I delivered them, he waited in the truck, warm and cozy, while I jumped out to put them on the porches or near the stores waiting for their delivery! 
I was about 13 years old. I can still smell the cup of hot chocolate he would buy me, sitting at the counter feeling so grown up sitting there with my dad. This song never failed to play when he let me go with him. “Alone Again Naturally“, “Claire” and “Mr. Bojangles” would also play on those occasions. I can’t help thinking of my dad and being with him when I hear these songs. I wish we had done more things together. He was “old school”; girls did things with their mom, boys with their dad. I always wanted to go places when he took my brothers, which wasn’t all that much really, quite often he worked shift work. I always did wish he would bring me.
Understanding American Pie
The first year I was in the Air Force, he sent me a card. For no reason. I was stationed in Germany. More importantly, he signed it himself. It wasn’t a card that my mother bought for a birthday or holiday, signed by her for both of them. He even addressed it to me and mailed it. I remember calling my mother and asking her, with fear, if something was wrong with him. Was he sick? She laughed and wanted to know why I was asking her such a question. I told her about the card. She replied, “He is just proud of you. He talks about you all the time with his friends.”
I never knew that until that moment.
I still have the card, to this day. It is about thirty years old now.
On March 3rd, he would have been 75. That was also my parent’s anniversary. It would have been their 55th.
