Dry July (2014) by Robbie Ellis

Written July 2014 on commission from Aubery Lecoq and for Marc Sautelet, who was doing the Dry July Challenge. Requested to be in the genre of "sad". Marc is Belgian, hence the accent.

Live performance at St Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin on 15 October 2014. Part of Arts Festival Dunedin.

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Lyrics:
I have given myself a challenge to not have a drink for the month of July.
I well know it is bon for my constitution but the stress and the strain make me cry.
Me not having a drink is so foreign and harrowing; it is my personal hell,
But as angry and mad and frustrated as I get, I know it would be worse for Jacques Brel.

Oh aï étc

Well, at first it was fine to avoid buying alcohol when at the supermarché,
But being offered a drink at a dinner party has a much greater difficulté.
I feel awkward and strange when I order a Coke or a lemon & lime at a bar,
But the worst thing is playing in [insert name of venue/city here] sober, so everyone chante avec moi!

Oh aï étc

Maybe, just maybe I'm doing myself a good deed;
Maybe, just maybe not having a drink is valide.
I'm more energetic, I'm much more alert,
I'm far less pathetic, my head doesn't hurt,
I think I now get it, I am a convert!
This life change is just what I need.

But then, I crack - I remember what fun
I derived from a bière or a bottle of vin.
I see no earthly way to fight my DNA.
At the end of the day, je suis néozélandais!