Sometimes I find that the only way to get something out that is stuck inside your head is through brain surgery. Since that is a little extreme I shall try another option which is to coax that intruder out of my head by making it look so ridiculous that it will slink off in shame.
What is stuck inside my head is a song Bob Seger did about 25 years ago called “Fire Lake.” Particularly bothersome are these lyrics:
“You remember Uncle Joe
He was the one afraid to cut the cake … “
First of all, no I don’t remember Uncle Joe unless you’re talking about Uncle Joe Stalin who is pictured up above. And I don’t really remember him because I think he was dead by the time I burst into the atmosphere. Well, there is Uncle Joe Carson from the old TV sitcom “Petticoat Junction.” But he was a bachelor. And I am dangerously assuming from the song’s lyrics that this Uncle Joe is married because Seger goes on to sing:
“Who wants to tell poor Aunt Sarah
Joe’s run off to Fire Lake … “
Now I do have a friend named Sarah, but I am almost positive Seger is not talking about her because she isn’t married and certainly not to anyone named Uncle Joe. I don’t even know if she is an aunt.
Perhaps most mysterious is that this Uncle Joe whom Seger expects me to remember is afraid to cut the cake. Why? Will it explode into a great fireball and consume the room? Or maybe the cake is for someone else and Uncle Joe fears an ass-whupping if he cuts it before the other person has a chance to cut it? He might be talking about a toilet cake. I’d be afraid to cut one of those under certain circumstances.
The whole song seems to be about death, according to Wikipedia :
“In Christian theology (and Biblical imagery), the lake of fire is a place of perpetual torment (see Revelation 20:14, 21:8). In popular culture, the term “Fire Lake” has been used to indicate reaching the end of the line or death.”
Wow. Maybe Uncle Joe was afraid he would choke on the cake and die. That makes a little more sense. But I still don’t remember Uncle Joe. Sorry Bob.