- 5 weeks ago
CTP BooksAuthorsWeekApril2026C (S3EAprSpecial5) Anime Lessons For Real Life (Lessons in Human Nature and the Human Condition)
Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond
We explore how anime storytelling can translate into real-world resilience, identity, and leadership lessons that actually stick. Michael Yearby explains how he uses characters and “training arcs” to teach personal and professional development, especially to younger audiences.
• Michael Yearby’s background, military life, and time overseas
• Why anime culture matters and why language and labels matter
• Using anime storytelling to explain personal development concepts
• Naruto as a case study for perseverance, resilience, and SMART goals
• Teaching soft skills in FTAC by connecting to what young people watch
• Generational gaps in music and animation and why stories still land
• Training arcs as a framework for discipline, mentorship, and growth
• Faith, ministry, and universal lessons that cross cultures
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Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond
We explore how anime storytelling can translate into real-world resilience, identity, and leadership lessons that actually stick. Michael Yearby explains how he uses characters and “training arcs” to teach personal and professional development, especially to younger audiences.
• Michael Yearby’s background, military life, and time overseas
• Why anime culture matters and why language and labels matter
• Using anime storytelling to explain personal development concepts
• Naruto as a case study for perseverance, resilience, and SMART goals
• Teaching soft skills in FTAC by connecting to what young people watch
• Generational gaps in music and animation and why stories still land
• Training arcs as a framework for discipline, mentorship, and growth
• Faith, ministry, and universal lessons that cross cultures
SEND US FEEDBACK: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2210487/fan_mail/new
https://tinyurl.com/SubscribeToCTP
CTP Audios: https://tinyurl.com/CTPonBuzzsprout
CTP Videos: https://tinyurl.com/JLDonBITCHUTE
https://tinyurl.com/CTPgear
Category
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FunTranscript
00:00Hello, welcome to another episode of Perstitutionalist Podcast.
00:06I am your host, Joseph M. Leonard.
00:09That's L-E-N-A-R-D.
00:12It looks French.
00:13It's not.
00:14It's Leonard without an O.
00:17Thank you for tuning in, as Graham Norton used to say, on his show.
00:24Let's get on with the show!
00:25Warning, this episode contains some audio and or video glitches.
00:35It is not your equipment.
00:37For those looking on the five behind-the-scenes video channels, sneak peek videos, you will see...
00:49Oh, first let me say, this is a cheat intro again, kind of like I do on Saturdays if I'm
00:56presenting a video exclusive from prior, the same cheat.
01:02You'll see the same, or here on the 40-ish audio-only platforms, this same mini intro.
01:13But I am wearing the Book of Kennedy Project Carpe Diem book shirt, because welcome to Books Slash Authors Week,
01:26just one week, for April of 2026.
01:31Prior, I had Books Slash Authors Weeks this time to get caught up on some back interviews of authors.
01:41I'm doing a singular Books Slash Authors Week for April of 2026, Monday through Friday.
01:53Also, I want to say, at the end of each episode, I will tack on one of my newer, more
02:02recent, Suno-created songs.
02:05If you remember, my dad, Ted Leonard Jr. and the Poker Kings, tinyurl.com, the Poker Kings, to see that
02:14tribute page, Sam.
02:15He had a record deal.
02:17I used to write and record music the old way, you know, get out a piece of sheet music,
02:22and write out the actual song on the sheet music, the chords, the notes, the lyrics, but all my equipment's
02:35been long sold off,
02:36but thanks to Suno AI Music System, I'm back to writing lyrics and releasing music again.
02:47Thank you, Suno.
02:50So, each day, Monday through Friday of Books Slash Authors Week, 2026, April,
02:59I will tack on a Suno-aided-created new song from Joseph and Leonard, J. Leonard, Detroit, on Suno.
03:11So, thank you to them, and I've already delayed things, so without further ado, let's get to an author.
03:19Joining me today will be Michael Yearby.
03:25No video.
03:26I was just explaining to Michael before I hit record,
03:31Macro Suck Wind Slow 11 on my system acting up,
03:36and apparently the Zoom update on his system acting up,
03:42so no video for him.
03:45Well, we got a picture of him at least popped up there now,
03:49so that's an improvement.
03:52We'll at least see a picture while we get his sound.
03:56And we're going to be talking about anime today.
04:01Now, now, wait, wait.
04:02Don't tune out.
04:04Anime is not my normal genre of choice either,
04:09but I am curious because, like fantasy,
04:15anime really is kind of in the fantasy genre most times,
04:19although you can have a fictional or a non-fiction kind of anime fictionalized
04:27historical Washington thing or something.
04:31I don't know.
04:31So, but anime may not be your thing,
04:35but let's hear what Michael has to say.
04:39Welcome to the show, Michael Yearby.
04:41And it's spelled Y-E-R-B-Y,
04:45but it sounds like an E on the end.
04:47Yes?
04:48Oh, no.
04:48So it's Y-E-A-R-B-Y.
04:51So it's year and by.
04:53Yeah.
04:53That's not what I said.
04:55Okay.
04:55See, my brain and my mouth aren't cooperating either.
04:59Yeah.
05:00Michael, M-I-C-H-A-E-L, Yearby,
05:04Y-E-R-B-Y.
05:07Despite the Y on the end, it sounds like an E.
05:11Michael Yearby.
05:12Okay.
05:13Now, now that we got that the hell out of the way, let's start with the, where were you born
05:22and raised and significant, where are you now, significant places you may have been
05:29in between, those sorts of things.
05:31Born and raised in Miami, Florida.
05:34Raised there for 17, 18 years.
05:36So you were born and raised in hotter than hell land.
05:39Yeah.
05:46I've been in Miami, North Miami Beach in June.
05:50Oh, my God.
05:52So anyway, I interrupted you.
05:54Born in Miami.
05:56Go on.
05:57No, it's quite all right.
05:59It's quite all right.
06:00I love that.
06:01I love the place.
06:02I love the heat.
06:03And as I get older, I appreciate it a lot more versus being in the cold.
06:08So, you know, I don't, I don't do cold very well, but yet here I still am in the frozen
06:15tundra of Michigan at winter.
06:18So, yeah, it's way too cold out there.
06:22For the record, I don't know when it'll air.
06:25So, but we are recording Saturday, February the 7th.
06:29Then, yeah, trying not to freeze my tukas off up here.
06:34Go on.
06:36Like I said, from Miami, Florida, I've been in the air for 24 years.
06:40I've been to assortment of places in between from Minot, North Dakota, to Okinawa, Japan,
06:48to Germany, Guam for deployments, Kyrgyzstan for deployment, Singapore for deployment.
07:00And then from there, right now, I'm actually overseas in South Korea, in Kungsan, South Korea,
07:07if you can believe it, at Kungsan Air Force Base.
07:11That's the problem.
07:13You're in, that's the problem.
07:15It's the Korean version of the NSA causing us problems.
07:25Probably, probably.
07:26Oh, my goodness.
07:28Yeah.
07:28So, like I said, 24 years, been to a multitude of bases.
07:34And in that time frame, just probably learned, learned a lot that I don't know anything.
07:42That, that's the most part about it.
07:44You know, the more you learn, the more you, you know, you don't know.
07:47And so, the grasp and understanding of what I do, I know, is basically nothing new.
07:55Throughout the testament of time, people have all experienced this.
07:59And I just, when we were talking about anime, it's just certain things that I see in anime lore
08:04that we, I guess, put into real life or get out of real life.
08:11And so, I just try to connect those dots for people.
08:14Yeah.
08:15And recognizing ignorance.
08:19We are all ignorant of things that we've yet to learn, right?
08:24Ignorant does not mean stupid.
08:26Stupid, yes.
08:28Stupid, yes.
08:29Stupid, yes.
08:29Stupid is you don't know, you don't care to know, you know.
08:34I like my delusional bubble.
08:37Yeah.
08:38That is a big difference.
08:40So, yeah.
08:41A hundred percent.
08:42Wisdom is understanding we are all ignorant of certain things.
08:48Absolutely.
08:49So, but yeah, you mentioned Japan.
08:52So, obviously, I would think that that's probably where you first come into anime.
09:02No.
09:03So, you know, back in the day, it was like a nasty little nerd thing to like anime.
09:10So, I mean, and then also, you know, it was on the weekends where like, you know, they had the
09:15overseas, what they call cartoons back in the day.
09:20But it was, anime is, I guess, you can't say cartoons to anime enthusiasts.
09:27Oh, my God.
09:28You will piss them off.
09:29Yeah.
09:29You will piss them off.
09:31You will trigger them.
09:33Yeah.
09:34A hundred percent.
09:36A hundred percent.
09:37But I do understand the difference.
09:39Moving to Japan, got to see it, and then got to follow the, I guess, the history and the lore
09:45behind that between anime, manga, and all the understanding of the groups, the culture behind it.
09:53It's pretty amazing.
09:55It unlocked a lot for me.
09:56Yeah.
09:56You mentioned the other one, hentai, or am I pronouncing that even correctly right?
10:03No, hentai.
10:05Don't confuse those two either.
10:08You'll set the, you'll trigger the nerves again.
10:11Yeah.
10:11Don't.
10:12Yeah.
10:15They may look the same to us normal folks.
10:19And relax, nerds.
10:21It's just a joke when I say, I'm normal, you're not.
10:26It's just a joke.
10:28Please, can we lighten up, people?
10:32Oh, screw you.
10:35Anyway, so, you have anime books or anime films?
10:45So, no, I have a, it's not an anime book.
10:50And so, basically, I use anime concepts to, well, anime storytelling to convey personal, professional development concepts, right?
10:58So, a lot of stuff that I see that they use in anime, I just like, hey, just like Naruto
11:04did this, blah, blah, blah.
11:06It reminds me of what I've seen in real life in this.
11:09And then also, it follows this professional development concept.
11:12Oh, I love it.
11:14So, it's a nuance.
11:15I just got done editing a future airing monologue, Saturday monologue, about White Lion Song, When the Children Cry.
11:29And I just put it up on my video platforms as behind the scenes.
11:35And, indeed, I do kind of the same with my Life and Living series of books.
11:41I interweave music and songs.
11:47And so, I don't know where I'm going with this now.
11:53But, yeah, a quasi-blend of things, like you said.
11:58You're taking anime, and as I joked at the top, there can be, like, nonfiction.
12:03You're using those, how do you put it, those principles, those concepts, and applying them elsewhere.
12:13As I used to write and record music, so I apply, like, the White Lion Song, When the Children Cry,
12:22that I just put up on behind-the-scenes video, talk about my Life and Living series of books.
12:29There's a bunch of songs that deal with life and living that make an appearance in my books to try
12:37to relate.
12:38So, in a way, you're doing the same trying to relate anime, which is generally a younger thing, with older,
12:48wiser principles.
12:50Yes?
12:51Correct.
12:51A hundred percent.
12:53You couldn't get it better than that.
12:54Well, I rambled quite a bit to get there, but I got there eventually.
13:00Oh, that's hilarious.
13:06Yeah.
13:07This is not your normal kind of show.
13:10This isn't an act.
13:13Hey, this is just me letting it all hang out.
13:15We hit record, and we go wherever the rabbit holes open.
13:22What was the lightbulb moment to think that you could do this?
13:29Oh, so, for me, I'm a huge, huge anime fan.
13:33I mean, I guess, if I'm being honest, I'm not, I guess, as huge as certain people, because they take
13:40it.
13:40Oh, there are some fanatics out there.
13:44I love anime lore, just in general, right?
13:48And so, I was sitting down one time, and I noticed, like, one big anime people call, they say it's
13:53in the top three, and it's Naruto.
13:56And Naruto talks about, like, this is a little kid who's being shunned by his community, and he wants to
14:05be...
14:06So, kind of a bullying, a bullying kind of situation, or a disaffected, disjointed, disassociated...
14:17And he wants to be, one, he wants to be acknowledged by everyone in this community, and then, two, he
14:23wants to be better than what he is.
14:25So, he keeps, basically, trying very, very hard, even though he has a lot of setbacks in his life, from
14:34he not knowing his parents, his mom and dad are, you know, passed on, and, you know, he doesn't understand
14:41why people are so mean to him, but he's still trying to do, you know, better about himself.
14:46And I was like, man, that...
14:47And, because I started this professional development journey, like, a couple of years back, and I was like, man, Naruto
14:53reminds me of someone who's trying to, you know, persevere through a lot of struggle.
14:59And then, I mean, he's, I'm like, man, he has a lot of resilience.
15:02Oh, man, and he actually, he actually performed in this concept, this professional development concept.
15:09And I'm like, okay, he actually has some smart goals here.
15:13I'm like, man.
15:14And so, I kind of like, you know, just watching anime, I key certain things, and I'm like, okay, that's
15:21pretty cool.
15:21And so, when I used it originally, and the reason that this all came in, I was teaching a class.
15:28It was, it's called F-TAC.
15:30I'm not sure if anybody knows it, but then the military, it's called First Term Airmen Center, where we have
15:37new airmen that come inside the Air Force.
15:40When they get to their first base, we have them go through F-TAC.
15:44And basically, we teach them a lot of soft skills.
15:47You know, the command chief, the leadership come, and basically have different briefings throughout the whole week.
15:53And just giving them an overview of the base, teaching them a lot of soft skills, and have a lot
15:58of different speakers come in.
16:00And at the time, as I came in, I was teaching Understand Your Why from Simon Sinek.
16:05I noticed that to connect with the youth, I used anime and what Naruto was doing, and then I was
16:13using, like, One Piece when it came to Luffy and different anime characters like that.
16:19And people were connecting and really understanding the concepts a lot better.
16:23And so, I was like, okay, man.
16:25So, since they're, if they're understanding that right, and I can bring it together like that, let me, let me
16:30keep it going.
16:31Now, you're making me laugh a little, because you're saying menudo, and I'm going back to music.
16:38My old, I'm thinking menudo or menudo or whatever that old Latin, young Latin pop group was, right?
16:49Menudo.
16:50Yeah, not that.
16:52Yeah, not that.
16:53And you're making the very point, again, as you were at the top, but different may be weird and strange
17:01to us.
17:02It may be seemed abnormal, but different is still human.
17:07And as you said, the anime relates, even though it's fantasy genre per se, it relates a lot of, like,
17:19my Life and Living series of books.
17:21It's human nature, human qualities, the human condition.
17:26Mm-hmm.
17:28A hundred percent it does.
17:30And you can just, I mean, depending on the anime, it displays and talks about the different concepts.
17:37And so, I usually, what I do is, I like a lot of arrangement of animes.
17:41So, some animes talk about certain things a lot more than other animes.
17:47So, I use those concepts accordingly.
17:49And it helps me to connect with, at least, you know, because not everybody listens to anime or reads manga
17:57and stuff like that.
17:58But majority of the young people do.
18:00So, it's really helpful.
18:03Exactly.
18:04It is indeed very much a generational thing.
18:09And that will always be the case.
18:10It's, each generation tends to, for whatever reason, gravitate to one thing or another generation.
18:21It's like music, especially, right?
18:24Every, what's the song?
18:26In the living years, Mike and the Mechanic.
18:29Every generation, something about the one before.
18:33Exactly.
18:34The generational music divide.
18:36Oh, my God.
18:36It's a bunch of noise.
18:38Right?
18:40Every, every generation thinks the new generation's music is a bunch of noise.
18:46Noise, dude.
18:47Yeah.
18:48And you're not wrong.
18:49I was just talking with my coworkers probably a couple of days ago.
18:53And he said, well, I'm like, man, you know, I said, is it me?
18:56Well, I'm getting to the point where I'm just like, the new music that I hear.
18:59I just really don't want to listen to it anymore.
19:02And then we all started laughing because we're all older.
19:05You know, I'm 42.
19:06My other coworkers are roughly around 37, 38, 39.
19:11You know, that's, that worked for me.
19:14And he was like, they started laughing really, really hard.
19:17And they're like, yeah, man, I stopped doing, I was trying to listen to all the young, new music years
19:21ago.
19:22And we said, you finally, I guess you broke, right?
19:25You, you, you're not doing it no more.
19:27I said, nah, I can't.
19:28I said, young so-and-so, I can't listen to that, you know, stuff.
19:32And it's just generational.
19:33It's evolutionary.
19:35It's just time.
19:38Things improve.
19:40Things progress.
19:43Progression isn't always necessarily better, but it's just a form of anime itself derived from the word animation.
19:54It's just a weak sync.
19:57I'm 63.
19:59People think of like the Looney Tunes that have been around since the 40s still being shown.
20:08And the morals of those cartoons usually do still relate.
20:14So anime is just an evolution, a progression from Looney Tunes in a way.
20:23You're not, you're not wrong at all.
20:26I mean, you can't say that to some people, but.
20:28Because in anime, there's what?
20:30Furbies.
20:31That's kind of like a Bugs Bunny human blend, right?
20:36Mm-hmm.
20:37Mm-hmm.
20:37Depending on some characters, they are, you know, you got your protagonist, you got your antagonist,
20:42and you got your comic release in there.
20:44And that's always like, it's weird.
20:46It has your Bugs Bunny-esque or Daffy Duck-esque characters.
20:51So.
20:54Mm-hmm.
20:55Oh, I, again, since anime is not really my thing, I'm not knowing exactly where to go next.
21:04But, again, like I said at the top, I hope people didn't tune out and think, oh, anime, I'm not
21:11interested in that discussion.
21:13Again, it mirrors life.
21:17So it's important, and it relates to everyone's and everyday life, like my Life and Living series of books do.
21:26So your combining anime with modern realities does relate to people, whether they, the question is whether they'll stop and
21:38think about it rather than just react emotionally.
21:45And, honestly, they will, because, like, I would say in this generation, just, so even with anime right now,
21:54they're going through a transition of what the young people call a new gen and an old gen.
22:00I represent the blending of both, right?
22:03I love the new anime as well as the old.
22:06But I do venture mostly to the old type of anime when I'm referencing different things.
22:14And a lot of the young people like the new gen anime.
22:18And then they go into far more detail and depth about certain things that, you know, maybe don't, to me,
22:26don't matter.
22:26But I'm still able to connect and relate accordingly.
22:29And then even in the book process, just writing it, just having different exercises, basically going through those series.
22:38So, like, because I have a lot of extensive knowledge when it comes to different enemies.
22:43So I go through, like, different episodes and be like, even in my podcast, I'm like, oh, man, remember in
22:49season two, episode five, when this character was dealing with this.
22:55It reminds me of this.
22:56And then this is how personal development, how you get through a situation like that.
23:01When you're talking about resilience, you're talking about your identity, you're talking about your leadership, you're talking about discipline, and
23:07then you're talking about your training arcs.
23:09Like, every enemy character has, like, a training arc where they go off with the sensei and they learn something.
23:17And then the training arc, as they learn something, they learn about themselves through, you know, through, I guess, the
23:23exercise of pain in their training, their loss, in their choices they made.
23:28And then it helps them power up and come out better than they were last time.
23:33So a lot of, I say a lot of just regular, sensible, I guess, concepts or skills, right?
23:42But I mold it on.
23:45Reoccurring themes.
23:47We may be in 2026, but it's the same humankind, human nature.
23:54A lot of our internals are the same as they were in 2026 B.C.
24:03A hundred percent.
24:04And that's what I see that happens.
24:06And for me, like, I connect everything.
24:08Like, when I was in Okinawa, I used to do, I used to be a youth pastor, and I used
24:13to do prison ministry.
24:14So what we used to do is they have a small jail prison.
24:19Well, it's not small.
24:20It's pretty large, actually, at Camp Hanson on Okinawa.
24:26And it's for military members only.
24:29If you committed a crime, say you were sentenced to over a year, you will go to Camp Hanson for
24:36a year.
24:36They will process you.
24:37And then from there, they will make transport, not recommendations, but transport available, no matter if it was A.R
24:49.C. or whatever, to Leavenworth, right, to that in the States.
24:55A lot of people know that name.
24:57They know what Leavenworth is.
24:59Yeah, like Alcatraz, right?
25:02So in that time frame, myself and another senior pastor used to go roughly two times a week into the
25:11prison to minister to, I guess I would say, the convicts or the people who have been tried and found
25:20guilty.
25:21And we would talk about, basically, what do you do now?
25:26What's now?
25:27What do you do now with your time?
25:30What do you do now?
25:31How do you become a better person?
25:33And so, of course, it's Bible-centric.
25:35We use the Bible, of course, right?
25:38And we talk about through those concepts, but a lot of professional development, I see, I relate it to, you
25:46know, a lot of things that's in the Bible, right?
25:48And so I use that and use anime to kind of arc it all together.
25:53Of course, you don't have to be religious or, you know, I guess you say that now.
25:58You don't have to, you know, but it has such a world-building viewpoint.
26:06Yeah.
26:07And also the concept, no matter what, I guess, it defies whatever region or culture you're in.
26:14It's just good, hard lessons of, you know, no matter who you are and what you are, the concept of
26:21good, bad, dealing with, you know, hardships and struggles is in every culture.
26:27Yeah, you don't have to be Jewish or Christian, which Christians, and I'm going to upset some foolish Matthew 23
26:37types refer to Matthew 517.
26:40I came to fulfill, Jesus was a Jew.
26:44We as Christians really are Messianic Jews.
26:47So we are, as Christians, really still Jews.
26:51You don't have to be Jewish, Christian, whatever, to understand the Bible is historically and culturally relevant.
27:02100%.
27:04Anyway, okay, time has flown as it usually does.
27:10Do you have a website where people can reach out to you?
27:16Oh, yes.
27:17So the website is Michael Yerby, M-I-C-H-A-E-L-Y-E-A-R-B-Y.com.
27:27So my full name, Michael Yerby.com.
27:31And there's a Y in there, but it sounds pronounced like an E on the end.
27:38So I'm glad you spelled it.
27:41And in post, I will put the, for the video, five video platforms, there will be the scrawl at the
27:49bottom that'll have it spelled out.
27:52And for the benefit of the audio, only 25 platforms or those reading the transcript, you've already spelled it out
28:01for them.
28:02So, Sankal, Sankal, I can't, it always happens to me.
28:09I can talk fine all down day, but the minute I hit record, the brain and the mouse don't want
28:17to cooperate.
28:18Thank you, Michael Yerby, for coming on today.
28:22And see, I told you people at the top of the episode, this would relate to your life, even though
28:28you may not be an anime fan.
28:34Thank you so much for having me.
28:36I appreciate you.
28:37Oh, no problem.
28:39I'm glad you were here.
28:40We found each other via Podmatch, which is a service where hosts and guests can find each other.
28:50And the minute I saw anime, in fact, I'm holding up the note I printed out from Podmatch.
28:57I literally said to you, I have had on many authors, including had run books slash authors weeks in October
29:07of 2025, but I've never had anyone on discussing anime.
29:12Would love to go that direction with you, for starters, and then whatever other rabbit holes.
29:18So, exactly, just because I'm not a big anime fan, I understand and can appreciate it and think others should,
29:31too.
29:32Yeah, and thank you so much for having me on your platform.
29:35I really do love it.
29:36You are a hoot.
29:38A hoot.
29:40You remind me of one of my uncles so much.
29:44Oh, you know, some people do a show, and it's an act.
29:49It's a persona.
29:51No, this is me.
29:52I'm not pretending to be folksy.
29:56A jokester Joe.
29:57I'm also known as jokester Joe and raging Joe on Savage Unfiltered show.
30:04This is me.
30:05What you see is what you get.
30:07This ain't an act.
30:08Well, it is a little when my old, like, play days in high school, you know, the curtains open, and,
30:18oh, the show must go on.
30:20I have health issues, so I'm not always this energetic.
30:25So, that is a little deceptive.
30:28Like, when we're done, I'll probably need a nap.
30:33I will be worn out.
30:35This energy that you see on screen is on screen.
30:41It's not all the time.
30:43Anyway, thank you again, Michael Yearby.
30:47I started wrapping up five minutes ago.
30:50Thank you again, Michael Yearby, for coming on.
30:53It was a great conversation.
30:56Not sure when it'll air.
30:58Of course, I will reach out via Podmatch, let you know when it does.
31:02Behind-the-scenes video will show up sometime.
31:06It'll officially release across the 25-plus audio platforms at a later date than that.
31:13And you can share it whichever way you like.
31:17A hundred percent.
31:18Thanks.
31:18I appreciate you.
31:25April Fool's Day.
31:31What a joke.
31:34You played me good, I almost crowed.
31:41A fool for you.
31:44A silly clown.
31:47You spun me round and knocked me down.
31:54My heart, it aches.
31:59My heart, it aches.
32:00My spirit, too.
32:03A fool for you.
32:05Yeah, a fool for you.
32:09You took my gold.
32:12You took my youth.
32:15Left me with nothing but the brutal truth.
32:22A fool for you.
32:25A fool for you.
32:26Still a fool for you.
32:29A fiddle strings.
32:32They sang my pain.
32:36You danced away in pouring rain.
32:42My tears, a river, deep and wide.
32:50Nowhere to run.
32:53Nowhere to hide.
32:56Maybe someday I'll laugh it off.
33:00This silly game, this bitter scar.
33:03But not today, not this year.
33:07Still got you stuck right in my ear.
33:10April Fool, my love.
33:16You made me a fool.
33:23Played me like a fiddle string.
33:27Broke every rule.
33:30Tears fill the pool.
33:34A fool, a fool.
33:37April Fool, my love.
33:42You turned me into your fool.
33:50April Fool, my love.
33:56Still, I'm not over you.
34:04You took all my sunshine.
34:08Left me with rain.
34:11A circus clown in love.
34:13Such a beautiful pain.
34:16Maybe next year.
34:19Maybe next year.
34:21We'll celebrate.
34:24My heart's still a jester.
34:28Waiting at your game.
34:32April Fool's Day.
34:34Should be our anniversary.
34:37Because you turned me into your fool.
34:41Played me like a fiddle.
34:44Took most, left me with little.
34:46Tears flowed, filled the pool.
34:49But still I am not over you.
35:01Old cassette box in the hallway.
35:04Faded label is handwriting.
35:10I can hear the kitchen dancing.
35:13Every time that tape starts spinning.
35:19He'd shout out names like an intro.
35:23Grin so wide it fills the room.
35:28Now the chair sits by the window.
35:32But I swear I hear that tune.
35:37Dad's up there leading the heavenly poker band.
35:41Squeezing joy out of that squeeze box in his hands.
35:44Oh yeah, angels twirl, hellos tilt when they all start to stand.
35:51Dad's up there leading the heavenly poker band.
35:57They got a floor made out of starlight.
36:00Clouds lined up like wooden pews.
36:05Trumpets laughing into moonlight.
36:08Every waltz a bit of news.
36:14He's calling out for old partners.
36:18Step in line, you're doing fine.
36:23Heaven's never had a party.
36:27Till his rhythm hit the sky.
36:31Dad's up there leading the heavenly poker band.
36:36Squeezing joy out of that squeeze box in his hands.
36:39Angels twirl, hellos tilt when they all start to stand.
36:45Dad's up there leading the heavenly poker band.
36:51On earthy sign, those posters pack the hall on Friday nights.
36:59Dad's up there leading the heavenly poker band.
37:00Now every star's a paper lantern.
37:04Swinging gently in the lights.
37:11Dad's up there leading the heavenly poker band.
37:15Squeezing joy out of that squeeze box in his hands.
37:19Oh, if you listen in the silence, you'll hear them clap along and stand.
37:23Dad's up there leading the heavenly poker band.
37:31Rest well, poker king.
37:33You are not forgotten.
37:36You're still a thing.
37:38Heard one of your tunes on radio the other day sing.
37:42You and Richie, your brothers, are dancing in the hereafter.
37:46Not done, just a new chapter.
37:52Dad's up there leading the heavenly poker band.
37:57Squeezing joy out of that squeeze box in his hands.
38:00Oh, if you listen in the silence, you'll hear them clap along and stand.
38:05Dad's up there leading the heavenly poker band.
38:13Like and subscribe to the Constitutionalist Politics Podcast and share episodes.
38:20We need your help.
38:23Thank you for having tuned into another Constitutionalist Podcast show.
38:29I really appreciate that you stopped by.
38:33Again, please like, share, subscribe.
38:37We need you to help spread the Constitutionalist movement.
38:42Thank you again.
38:44Take care.
38:45God bless.
38:46Love you all.
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