A Pittsburgh couple has become the newest viral sensation with a coronavirus-themed parody of Simon & Garfunkel’s 1966 song “Homeward Bound.” With multiple verses of quirky lyrics — “I try to work from my PC, but soon the fridge is calling me, I eat some snacks, turn on TV, without Netflix, what would life be?” — Claire and Mel Vatz have created an endearing feel-good video that’s helping fellow quarantined folks cope during troubling times.
Comments on YouTube and social media have been pouring in from across the country: “Omg, I love you both so much!! This is the most brilliant thing I’ve seen since this all began! Thank you!!” “Oh my Lord, I was so down right now, this is great thank you.” “You made us feel like we aren’t the only seniors with a great sense of hope. We will survive this! Thank you for making our day!”
Claire, a speech pathologist, and Mel, an attorney, recorded the song from the safety of their Pittsburgh home while sitting in front of their piano during Governor Wolf’s required stay-at-home quarantine.
In an interview with Chicago radio station WGN Radio, Mel says the couple have long enjoyed writing “stupid parody songs” for their friends and family. “This one just seemed to hit a nerve,” he said. “Believe me, we are stunned.”
Want to sing along? We transcribed the lyrics for you:
“We’re All Home Bound: The CoronaVirus Song”
A parody of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound” by Claire and Mel Vatz
I’m sitting here in isolation, waiting for a vaccination
Stock market’s down, the stores are closed
Retirement plans are surely hosed
Toilet paper’s running low, it’s a good thing I don’t have to go …
We’re all homebound
How long will we
Still be homebound
Home, keeping social distance
Home, without friends’ assistance
Home, the government’s insistence
Stuck in our houses
I’m getting used to sleeping late
Should clean the house, but it can wait
I try to work from my PC
But soon, the fridge is calling me
I eat some snacks, turn on TV
Without Netflix, what would life be?
We’re all homebound
How long will we
Still be homebound
Home, ‘til the virus dies out
Home, ‘til the groceries run out
Home, ‘til the wine’s all drunk
We’re stuck in our houses
So please, just stay in your own space
Don’t shave so you don’t touch your face
Wash your hands until they’re raw
For 20 seconds, that’s the law
The curve will flatten, we’ll have seen
The ending to COVID-19
We’re all homebound
How long will we
Still be homebound
Home ‘til the virus dies out
Home ‘til the groceries run out
Home ‘til the wine’s all drunk
And we have defeated
Coronavirus
This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2020.
You two are so cute. Love your song. Thanks so much for sharing.
thanks for the chuckle!! we needed it!!!! blessings. stay safe!!!
Comments on YouTube and social media have been pouring in – not only from across the country, but even from Sweden, the country with the Nobel Prize. The German immigrant Joachim Mittendorf wrote enthusiastically: A modest proposal regarding Melvin and Claire Vatz! I have been living in Sweden, the country of the Nobel Prize (except the Peace Prize which is Norwegian) for more than half a century. After having seen and heard Claire and Melvin Vatz singing their version of Homeward Bound I would suggest them to be awarded firstly the Nobel Prize in literature 2020 “For their touching and yet joyful lyrics and singing of their Homebound song that spreads faster than a virus around the world” and secondly even the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “For the healing and lifesaving psychologic effects which their song has on millions of people around the world during times of isolation”. Melvin and Claire Vatz are from Pittsburgh, USA. (The telephone calls from the Swedish Academy and the Stockholm Karolinska Institutet to the winners are usually made in early October. Be ready and good luck!)
Leave it to yinz guys in da Burgh. From Glenshaw. You know, dawn air by Etna n’at! 😂