Rounding out our Kit is Extremely Random Week, let’s talk about Pomp and Circumstance. Also known as the graduation march. You know the one, where they play the same four measures over and over and over while hundreds of people cross the stage and receive whatever is appropriate for their education level.
(Random aside: the full title is Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches, Opus 39, and there are six marches. The part that’s typically played at graduations is part of March No. 1.)
I had a friend in high school who was a bit of a genius at lyrics, whether it was changing existing ones or adding ones to instrumental music. His version of Pomp and Circumstance went like so:
My reindeer fly sideways
Your reindeer fly upside down
My reindeer fly sideways
Your reindeer are dead
Thirteen years later, I still can’t hear the song without hearing these lyrics. If they get stuck in your head forever too, well, at least it helps pass the time.
