The Fan (1996)

Excited and anxious I await my dream

To escape, applaud And embrace my team

Opening day I always can trust

It’s just for this high That I crazily lust

Return of our hero Does brighten the days

Just briefly, my troubles Get lost in the haze

The grace from the field Arouses the crowd

Reflects on the days When I was quite proud

I’m more entranced Than the average fan

I used to play, you see And I know I still can

That time I drove the ball With such loft

My exit atop shoulders As they carried me off

This pastime and I Just fade into one

Expanded upon From father and son

My boy is young And awkward for now

I just need the time And can show him how

I really am quite close Just a break away

From straightening things out And being okay

I can help my team To regain its glory

With just a little twist To the same old story

Players say now They play for themselves

This causes a burning Within me that dwells

The fan is the one Who pays for the game

Which bestows all the riches And welcomed fame

The players will listen But really don’t hear

All the while just hiding Behind an invisible tear

I grow tired now of all this greed

And chart a course to set things free

-Gil Renard

(THE FAN)