The name Ronald didn’t stick,
I wanted to be left to take my pick,
John was an option, but thinking of myself highly,
I preferred the name Riley,
I envisioned the way my life would be,
I wrote my own autobiography,
Conveniently named The Life of Riley,
A business man with a big heart,
But that stayed hidden under my cashmere scarf,
A life of betting and playing cards,
That me, Riley, would never find hard,
I was a teacher in many ways,
How to live life in a practical way,
A bottle of wine, playing trumps until the sun sets slightly,
Ace is high, isn’t it Riley?
This is what life is about,
I will be rich without a doubt,
I just need a win on those premium bonds,
Then all my problems will be gone,
One marriage and a straying eye later,
Will only make my love greater,
50 years pass and here I hold my autobiography,
Conveniently named The Life Of Riley,
I realised that Riley didn’t really fit,
I was there in name but not in spirit,
I changed the name to The Life of John,
All my memories of Riley had gone,
The only Riley I had left in me,
Was that I married Darling Peggy.
