LEADER OF THE BAND- Gershon Veroba- Composed by Dan Fogelberg, Lyrics by Chummie Srulowitz & Gershon Veroba- Variations 4
(Orig. Leader of the Band- Dan Fogelberg)

CHORUS 1:
As heaven smiles a gifted child becomes a leading man,
Composer and performer too, every key at his command.
He played his songs, then moved along and now he’s gone away
But he gave us all a gift of notes we never can re-play.

A quiet man of music, his life, his soul, his fate,
His Ruach and his harmonies took him far beyond the state.
The keyboard and the drums were played by nimble, rhythmic hands,
His music spoke a language any heart could understand.

CHORUS 1:
The leader of the band is gone
And the ivories all are cold,
Cause his love moved through his instruments
And his music moved our souls.
His life was just a rich attempt
To bring joy to every man,
This song’s a living legacy
To the leader of the band.

VERSE 2:
The leader’s days were different as he answered every call.
He’d even give free time to play and he wished to play them all.
So every child of Mitzvah and every groom and bride,
Had their chance to hear the melodies that he stored up deep inside.

I thank you for the music (that you taught me, by the way),
I thank you for the smile you wore when it came our time to play.
I thank you for the jokes and laughs, even when the times got rough,
And Ira, I don’t think we said “we love you” near enough…

CHORUS 2:
The leader of the band is gone
And the ivories all are cold,
Cause his love moved through his instruments
And his music moved our souls.
His life was just a rich attempt
To bring joy to every man,
This song’s a living legacy
To the leader of the band.

We’re all a living legacy
To the leader of the band.