Well, in 19 and 81 your mama took a trip...

Well, in 19 and 81 your mama took a trip
That ended with an epi and an intravenous drip.
The doctor’s name was Madgwick but the magic wasn’t there
He set a date for Teddy Roy but Teddy didn’t care.

Now, your Daddy, he was far away, in fact, from what I hear
He was clear across the ocean in the country of Zaire.
Which really didn’t matter as you had already found.
The main thing was your Mama who I gather was around.

They fired the pitocin but the baby wasn’t comin’.
He wasn’t any closer than he was a while ago.
They fired the pitocin and your Daddy just kept runnin’
To listen for the update on the shortwave radio.
.
Well, I thought at first that you would surely be a Valentine.
And then I thought St. Patrick’s Day was also very fine.
But you were on a schedule that was yours alone to choose
As your Daddy quickly learned while he was waitin’ for some news.

The leprechauns had come and gone and still I said that’s cool
Though secretly I worried you would be an April Fool.

The first day came in April and no messages were comin’
The second day of April and I hadn’t heard a word.
The third day came in April and those wires still weren’t hummin’
The fourth day came in April, seemed that nothin’ had occurred.

The fifth day of April and still nothin’ to report.
The sixth day of April, all was quiet in Zaire
The seventh day of April...well to keep the story short,
It was April 11 when I got the word, “He’s here!”

The end of March, at last you started comin’.
But I didn’t hear for a couple weeks or so.
Every day, to the Catholic mission runnin’,
And still I didn’t hear it on the shortwave radio.

Well, I ran from the friars when I got the message.
I ran through the bushes and I wasn’t runnin’ slow
I ran to the village and I told them all the story.
A boy named Teddy Roy was born a couple weeks ago.

Well now, 26 years later the adventure still goes on.
The communicatin’ issues haven’t quite completely gone.
We have telephones and cell phones and from gramophones to Skype
IM, text, and web site, and all you have to do is type.

There’s no excuse for anyone who doesn’t get the scoop
And yet your father sometimes doesn’t quite seem in the loop.
Plus ca change, they say in French, plus c’est la meme chose
I still don’t keep in touch that well . I guess that’s how it goes.

But know that every day my heart will always be in touch
So Happy Birthday, Ted, you know I love you oh so much.