Moes Haven continuity

Throughout the 28 albums (23 studio, 2 compilations, and 3 rare track collections) they have created, **Moes Haven** has built up some stories that thread certain songs of theirs together. The most famous of which is the Creepy Bobby storyline, explored in spare songs and the albums *February: From the Bayou to the Barnyard and Back*and *Stromboli’s Alarm Clock*.

## Creepy Bobby

### Before the War

(From left to right) Creepy Bobby, Marie Ferucci, and Pat Ferucci

### Relatives

Marie Ferucci (ex-girlfriend)Unknown father

## Biographical information

### Place of death

New Orleans, Louisiana

**Creepy Bobby** was presumably born in the mid-1920s, perhaps 1915 or 1916, as he fought in World War II and was in his 30s when he met Marie in *Stromboli's Alarm Clock*. *February: From the Bayou to the Barnyard and Back* explores Bobby's childhood. The first track "(So, I Says, to My Therapist, I Says,) I Am Creepy Bobby" introduces the character in two parts. There's the dark part of Bobby, who says *"I am Creepy Bobby, watch out, I might kill you"*, and the second explores his lighter side with *"I like fishing, fishing with my father."* It is also known that Bobby spent his childhood locked in his abusive father's closet, and wanted to be a musician.

"How 'Bout That Day/Night Cycle?" goes more in-depth to Bobby's presumed bipolar disorder, as he says that in the daytime he is happier, but at night he is sadder and cries more. "I Want to Live My Life On a Farm" and "Beach Blanket Parcheesi (I Love the Beach)" explain Bobby's two main desires. It explains that Bobby lives in rural Massachusetts ("I says" is part of a Boston dialect), perhaps near a beach, on a farm (*"I have lived on a farm for years"*) and wants to stay on the farm.

Bobby also loves the beach, and gets tired of his labor on the farm, and goes to a beach for comfort. Bobby also says that *"it's always so close and within reach"*, so he lives near a beach in rural Massachusetts. He also states *"I feel happy for once"* at the beach. Parcheesi was a popular board game from the 1860s that resurged in the 1920s, which would be Bobby's teen years.

It should be noted that Bobby says that he likes going to the beach with a girl he likes, and in the next track, Bobby's love interest is more explored in "See My Love On Sunday". n the *Stromboli's Alarm Clock booklet*, it says that this girl he loved is his neighbor. He explains that they have a rocky, on-and-off relationship, as Bobby states *"Ooh, ooh, she'll never leave me / Not again"*. He also states that they have cheated on each other a few times in the relationship. However, she apparently leaves him to go to New York City in "I Wanna See You With Your Boots Back On". He says she has to *"come back to the outskirts"*, proving he lives in rural Massachusetts. He also says *"NYC is too far for me"*, as New York is about 4 hours away from Massachusetts and cars were a commodity in the 1920s. Bobby also says that this girl has left him to go to New York City before, and hopes she'll come back again.

Track 9, "Fishin' With Dad", brings back the *"I like fishing, I like fishing with my father"* segment from "(So I Says to My Therapist, I Says,) I Am Creepy Bobby". It also is the first instance of the Sparrow's Art verse used in multiple Moes Haven songs. It explains how Bobby wants to bring this girl along on a fishing trip with his father. "I Won't Keep You Waiting Around" features a jazz chord progression used commonly in 1920s popular music. It also has Bobby giving up his girl, realizing their relationship cannot last. This is the last Creepy Bobby song on the album, as the rest are unrelated to the character.

### Affair with Marie Ferucci

When America entered World War II, Bobby was drafted some time in 1943 or 1944 at met Pat Ferucci. Ferucci and Bobby became good friends, and were put into the middle of The Battle of the Bulge. In that battle, Ferucci was paralyzed by an explosion and Bobby had to have his right arm amputated. After the war ended in 1946, Bobby escaped to Buenos Aires, Argentina. He fell in love with a prostitute while in Argentina and worked at a coffeehouse named Che's. Bobby decided that, while working at Che's, he should pursue the musical dream he had as a child. The songs "I Like Her Ambition" from *March: of the Aliens*and "To Make You Feel Like a Woman" from *May: I Buy You A Sandwich?*come from this era of Bobby's life.

So, not by long, he was selling out shows in the Midwest, from Memphis to Denver. In the early 1950s, novelty acts were galore, and Bobby was successful as a one-armed piano player with a mangled tongue. He was a freak show, but he loved to perform, and there's nothing wrong with that. After playing a show near the Nebraska Plain, Bobby went to a bar where Marie Ferucci, the wife of Pat, worked. He was infatuated with Marie, and decided to see Pat again at his guest house in the Nebraska Plain. "Nebraska Plain" is a Moes Haven song from *January.*

While staying in the guest house of Ferucci's home, Bobby met Pat's kids, Joe and Suzie Ferucci, but was still infatuated with Marie. When Bobby told Marie he loved her, Marie kicked Pat out of the house. These couple of days are the story of most of the songs on *Stromboli's Alarm Clock*. "Postcards and Memories" takes place a few days into the relationship, as Bobby realizes that he can't actually give Marie everything. Tracks 2 to 4, "Be Young With Me", "My Heart Stood Still", "I Just Fell in Love", and "The Finish Line of Love" talk about Bobby's undying love for Marie, and the early stages of their relationship.

"Tin Roof Tap Dance", called Moes Haven's greatest song by Matt, is the beginning of the end for Bobby and Marie. It's got a melancholic ballad about how Bobby and Marie are growing apart, yet Bobby doesn't realize it. She is apathetic towards him; she wants to get back to her old life. "Sometimes Stars Just Cross" is the last song where Bobby and Marie are actually together. It's somber and is only piano, as Bobby remembers the good aspects of the relationship as he realizes that it's about to end.

After they split, Bobby was still shocked about it, as he was in such a state of domestic bliss he didn't realize it was crumbling at the bits. He says *"I knocked and I knocked and I couldn't get in"*. "Keep An Eye Open On the Way Downtown" shows how quickly Bobby is to concede and fold than fight for his love. For the rest of his life, Bobby was never able to love another woman again. He carves a note into a diner in the downtown area of the Nebraska Plain and then starts making plans to move to New Orleans. He reminisces for one last time in "I Am Leaving Town in 90 Days" and then flies to New Orleans and spends the last 30 years of his life playing small shows, finally content with his musical career.

### Timeline of songs

**1920s**

* "I Want to Live My Life On a Farm" *(from February)*
* "Beach Blanket Parcheesi (I Love the Beach)" *(from February)*
* "See My Love on Sunday" *(from February)*
* "I Wanna See You With Your Boots Back On" *(from February)*
* "How 'Bout That Day/Night Cycle?" *(from February)*
* "I Won't Keep You Waiting Around" *(from February)*
* "(So I Says, to My Therapist, I Says,) I Am Creepy Bobby" *(from February)*

**1946 / 1947**

* "I Like Her Ambition" *(from March: of the Aliens)*
* "To Make You Feel Like a Woman" *(from May: I Buy You A Sandwich?)*

**1955**

* "I Just Fell in Love" *(from Stromboli's Alarm Clock)*
* "My Heart Stood Still" *(from Stromboli's Alarm Clock)*
* "The Finish Line of Love" *(from Stromboli's Alarm Clock)*
* "Be Young With Me" *(from Stromboli's Alarm Clock)*
* "Tin Roof Tap Dance" *(from Stromboli's Alarm Clock)*
* "Postcards and Memories" *(from Stromboli's Alarm Clock)*
* "Sometimes Stars Just Cross" *(from Stromboli's Alarm Clock)*
* "Keep An Eye Open On the Way Downtown" *(from Stromboli's Alarm Clock)*
* "I Am Leaving Town in 90 Days" *(from Stromboli's Alarm Clock)*

## Sparrow's Art

> *And you can't hide your broken heart / Listen to the sparrow's art / When you're out of doors / Lonely engine puffin' steam / Everybody has a dream / Can I be in yours?*
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The **"Sparrow's Art"** verse is used in a few 365 Project songs, including "Fishin' With Dad" (from *February: From the Bayou to the Barnyard and Back**)*, "The Aliens Spare Earth (For Now) *(from March: of the Aliens)*, and "Dig In!" *(from December)*.