Rani Arbo &
daisy mayhem

Miami Moon

CD Not Available

Rani Arbo (c. 2011, Jinn Mill Music)

When my late neighbor Rudy was in his 80s, he spent an afternoon telling me swashbuckling stories of his dancing days on the cruise ships in Miami, where he and his wife used to go on vacation. After our conversation, I hurried home and wrote down as much as I could remember; many of Rudy’s words made it into this song. Mark Erelli’s steel playing has a grace and a swagger that remind me of him – and transports this tune right to the dance hall. – RA

Oh they could really see me comin’
I was a man of grace and passion
My blue silk shirt, her pleated skirt
We were made for dancing
Those summer nights away
On the boats out in the bay
No one could twirl her like I do
No other girl ever knew me

That Miami moon rose up so high
Shining on you and the sea
Over the girls and the cruise ship lights
Over you and me

I’d wear my shirt unbuttoned
Just the first few, you know
Makes a man feel like a man with that
Little glint of gold
She always pinned her hair up tight
And I would spin it wild
No one could touch us on the floor
Even the band called out for more

That Miami moon rose up so high
Shining on you and the sea
Over the crowd as they dimmed the lights
Over you and me

And now my legs ain’t working
But they still hear the call
On Friday nights, they got a guy
Plays music down the hall
He ain’t as good as they used to be
But he gets along just fine
And if I had her here with me
I would show ‘em how it’s done

Cause that Miami moon went down so fast
Shining on you and the sea
In the dancing room the band calls out
One last tune for me