Date: Wed, 16 Mar 1994 21:29:04 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Just a song for everyone . . .
From: anon@queernet.org (Anonymous Sender)

'Jonny and Betty' by Meryn Cadell

Jonny and Betty went to high school together
And Jonny and Betty went steady
Because Jonny and Betty knew that someday,
not today, they'd be ready to say
'Forget all the lessons we learned, we're gay.'
When the rings are going onto the fingers everywhere
Everybody asking these two if they're gonna tie the knot
They nod shyly and say 'Well, maybe'
And they smile wisely and say 'Well, maybe not.'
Betty learned to sew her own dress
And Jonny was a champion at chess
Ordinary kids, you know, just plain folk,
But keep the love stuff to yourselves
And laugh at all of their jokes.
Swimming with the tide until the tide goes out
Swimming with the tide until
Swimming with the tide until the tide goes out
Swimming with the tide until
Well, we know the world's not perfect
And the world's not strong
So we know someone will suffer before the end of this song.
Someone will get bashed before the end of the verse,
The only question is, who got bashed first
And it was Jonny, discovering what they call Boy Town
High school buddies out of nowhere grabbed him and spinned him around
Then they hit him in the face and laughed and kicked him to the ground.
Jonny, with a swollen face and Betty's puffed from crying
Agreed there's no going back, being attacked is like dying,
And dying is like leaving, so they ran.
They didn't take much, they took what they could carry
Talked about the future and decided they should marry.
They should live their separate lives
But keep it quiet, keep it calm,
Keep their love to themselves
And keep themselves away from harm.
Swimming with the tide until the tide goes out
Swimming with the tide until
Swimming with the tide until the tide goes out
Swimming with the tide until
And what a lovely day on the beach it will be
For our heroes Betty and Jonny and their friends as the crowd
Swooshes out to sea leaving all the different ones shining and free.