Here’s another sliver from the Archives – Allen (on an airplane maybe?) composing directly onto the tape-recorder, a poignant little ditty, (audio – 78 at Stanford – from, as Allen duly informs us, 1992) – “For Peter Orlovsky in Rain” (but surely that’s a mistranscription? – shouldn’t it be “For Peter Orlovsky in Pain“?)
AG: “It’s recording I guess. I don’t know but I suppose it’s recording. What time is it now? It’s about nine o’clock and it’s the 11th of March, 1992, and I’m preparing this to take along to Idaho (sic)”
[Allen begins unaccompanied singing]
Senior citizen old boy joy/ Senior citizen old boy joy/What you gonna do when your plane comes along?/What you gonna do when you’re all alone?
Senior citizen old boy joy/ Senior citizen old boy joy/When your boy-friend comes to die/What you gonna do when you close his eye?
Senior citizen old boy joy/ Senior citizen old boy joy/What you gonna do on your own death/bed some day?/What you gonna do when you’ve gone all the way?
Senior citizen old boy joy/ Senior citizen hey oh hey/Senior citizen oh farewell/ Senior citizen, don’t go to hell.
For the first two minutes, improvising, Allen recites the words. For the last approximately minute-and-a-half, he concentrates on the tune.
Short and sweet. A sad naked moment in eternity.