My father used to tell me
’bout a day back in school so small.
Teacher pointed to a picture,
said: “Now say it, once and for all.”
But his tongue just wouldn’t listen,
and the boys began to grin.
“Canary” on the picture…
but "Cannary" coming out again.

He didn’t know much about the world then,
didn’t know what he’d become.
But he laughed it off and figured,
one day he beat that English drum.
And while the class kept sayin’ vowels,
he was dreaming past the gate -
of that British piece of thunder
called the Morgan Plus 8.

He said: Someday I’ll drive it.
Yeah, someday I’ll ride it,
past every doubt
and every twist of fate.
Someday they’ll hear me
when that roadster's near me
the boy who said cannary
in his Morgan Plus 8.

Years rolled on like gravel,
like rain across the hood.
He worked his way through seasons,
never sure he’d make it good.
Then one morning, older, tougher,
he turned the key and heard it sing.
The world felt like forgiveness
when that engine took its swing.

No one cared ’bout his old English,
no one mocked the way he spoke.
Road was open, sun was rising,
and he finally cracked the joke.
Life don’t measure how you say things,
but how far you choose to go.
And that boy inside the classroom
finally told his past: “Let go.”

’Cause someday came true now,
the road finally knew how
to carry all the weight
that he once couldn’t take.
And that V8 thunder
tore his fears asunder - 
the boy who said "Cannary"
drives a Morgan Plus 8.

Some folks chase the grammar,
some folks chase the gold.
He just chased a dream
that never once grew cold.
And every mile reminds him
why the struggle had to wait…
You can mispronounce a word
and still pronounce your fate.

Yeah, someday he drove it,
and someday he proved it,
that a boy with shaky English
can still write his own slate.
Now the wind keeps hummin’,
and the years keep runnin’
but "Cannary" never stopped him
from his Morgan Plus 8.

Boy Who Said Cannary (Neo Soul)

“Seneca Village," a musical set in 1855 that dramatizes the story of a 19th-century settlement in what is now Central Park. This community, established in 1825, was home to approximately 300 residents, including 200 free African Americans and 100 Irish immigrants, living together harmoniously. 

©2025 Frank Cuthbert, Michael Moroney

Do Yourself A Favor

Prince