Randy Newman at Town Hall

Seeing a favorite performer perform
Is like eating a favorite meal;
You know what you’re going to get, after all,
But that only improves the appeal.

The songs are familiar; you know all the words.
In the meal, you can peg all the spicing.
Both the opening chords and aromas provide
What your brain registers as enticing.

Still, no matter how often you’ve heard every song,
Despite savoring every last taste,
Just having the real thing in front of your eyes
Proves the truth on which memory’s based.

So you sit in the dark and absorb every note
And get transported back to the past;
And the taste is exquisite because, as you know,
Times like this are not destined to last.

At the end of the show, you jump up and applaud;
All the audience basks in the glow.
For a couple of hours we let go of the years,
Tasting flavors that simmered just so.