THE OLD MAN The tears have all been shed now We've said our last goodbyes His soul's been blessed He's laid to rest And it's now I feel alone He was more than just a father A teacher, my best friend He can still be heard In the tunes we shared When we play them on our own. I never will forget him For he made me "what I am" Though he may be gone Memories linger on And I miss him, the old man. As a boy he'd take me walking By mountain, field and stream And he showed me things Not known to kings And secret between him and me Like the colours of the pheasant As he rises in the dawn And how to fish and make a wish Beside the Holly Tree. I thought he'd live forever He seemed so big and strong But the minutes fly And the years roll by For a father and a son And suddenly when it happened There was so much left unsaid No second chance To tell him thanks For everything he's done. Singing was a hobby for John McDERMOTT up until about ten years ago when this gentleman with an easy-going manner and rich tenor voice was discovered by chance when he belted out a rendition of "Danny Boy" at a company party for the "Toronto Sun" where he worked as a circulation sales rep. John was the 9th of 12 children born to an Irish family in Glasgow, Scotland. The musical family emigrated to Canada in the 1960s. John's striking, pure voice was nurtured at St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto. His late father, Peter, was his chief mentor and teacher. John honors the memory of his mother, Hope, with his work on behalf of chronically homeless veterans. John sang with the original "Three Tenors" group, and he has been touring in the USA and elsewhere as a solo. His musical repertoire includes Irish and Scottish classics, "Streets of London," and some of his favorite American songs. One song, in particular, "The Old Man," is dedicated to his father.