The Bare Necessities of Life (midi) Louis Armstrong (mp3 - 2.23mb)
FOOD: Since many nursing home residents never had a visitor, they always looked forward to their 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. I used to have to corral one ambulatory resident daily when he came down early to the dining room so that he could nibble on all the salads on all the tables. POOP: I used to walk many residents to the toilet so that they didn't slip and fall. For some, I had to sit there and wait until they finished. For all, they wanted to know the color and consistency of their bowel movements so that they could tell their friends and family. DEAD: Quite a few would do the daily crossword puzzle in their newspapers and faithfully read the daily obituaries to see who had died. Both my grandmothers had lost their husbands when I was growing up. They would always ask for the obituary page of the newspaper.The Bare Necessities of Life
I will always remember what I learned while working in nursing homes as a young man.
The oldsters taught me that thinking gets reduced to the bare necessities.
They are: "The Food." "The Poop." "The Dead."
"The Bare Necessities"
Words and music Terry Gilkyson, 1967
Performed by Phil Harris and Bruce Reitherman in the film The Jungle Book, 1967
Also sung later by Sebastian Cabot and Louis Armstrong
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard
And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you
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