Written by Dick Holler; first recorded by Dion. Watched Smokey Robinson and the Miracles perform on Ed Sullivan (via the Decades Channel) this evening.

I remember hearing about Bobby Kennedy’s assassination while in school. I can picture the afternoon, the milling about of students outside our trailer classroom (tail end of baby boom classroom shortage solution). It was hot and dry, and the dying, faded grass in the cracked asphalt of the school yard seemed to symbolize what we had lost, yet again. Note, I was living in Canada, but the sadness knew no borders, no boundaries, no nationalities.

The what-ifs of history – what if Abraham, Martin, John and Bobby had “not died young,” where would we be now? Somehow, naïvely, I think in a better place.

“Abraham, Martin And John”

Anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He freed lotta people but it seems the good they die young
You know I just looked around and he’s gone
Anybody here seen my old friend John?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He freed lotta people but it seems the good they die young
I just looked around and he’s gone
Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He freed lotta people but it seems the good they die young
I just looked around and he’s gone
Didn’t you love the things that they stood for?
Didn’t they try to find some good for you and me?
And we’ll be free
Some day soon, it’s gonna be one day
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
I thought I saw him walkin’ up over the hill
With Abraham, Martin, and John