The Conversation

A couple of weeks back, I was on the A train late in the evening. It was a stupidly hot night and as we passed through lower Manhattan, this guy got on, sat down and started singing "A Change Is Gonna Come."

Anyone who lives in New York and rides the subway frequently knows that this is one of the "go to" songs of the un-trained train singer, but this guy wasn't looking for hand outs or donations, he was just singing and telling it like it was. I know he was telling it like it was because he told me he was telling it like it was. He told the guy next to me too and may have mentioned it loud enough so that everyone knew.

He kept looking at me looking at him from across the seats and started telling everyone that it may have seemed like he was the one doing all the talking but in fact I was the one driving the conversation.

"This man here," he said gesturing to me, "he's saying more then me, saying more than any of us and he isn't even opening his mouth, isn't saying a word, but he's got some eyes that are looking and they're making me sing."

And he sang some more.