Ducks On The Wall

The lights would come up in the Inn-Between, the air heavy with beer. Inebriated college students would squint and groan, knowing this was the last song of the night. But we'd all sing along, whether we were sitting at a table, or dancing on the sticky dance floor or dancing on a sitting table, our voices joined as we shouted the chorus: "Stuffed ducks! Ducks on the wall!"

How bizarre! Why that song?

An old college buddy of mine is getting married this weekend in Buffalo. I'm flying up by myself to be there and to meet up with about ten other college buddies. E-mails have been criss-crossing the country as we make our plans. In one of them, this song was mentioned, so I looked for it on youtube.

It was a staple at Geneseo. Everyone there knows that "Ducks on the Wall" is the closing song every night at the Inn-Between. But never once have I heard anyone say, "What a weird song! And what does it have to do with closing time?"

You know what? Who cares? We'll be dancing to it this Saturday at the wedding reception and recalling when we were so completely free that closing time had the potential to change our lives. I'm not kidding. As I left the Inn-Between one night, I bumped into my friend, Greg, who offered to walk me home. That one night turned into a lifetime: