Comedian Frank DeLima, whose Friday school visitations have been pre-empted by Furlough Fridays, has written a parody to the tune of “Day-O,” lamenting the school closures due to the state’s budget dilemma.

“Furlough Day,” with the repetitive “Friday come and we gotta stay home,” is likely to become the unofficial anthem of the disrupted school season, where it will be sung and aired on radio, elevating DeLima’s presence on the media radar and the plight of the frustrated parents and school-less kids unless the governor, the legislators, or the public schools find a quick remedy and reopen schools.
“I have been wanting to do a song about the furlough days for a while but could not come up with a tune that everyone knew but was not obvious,” said DeLima.
“Just last Friday, the first furlough day, I finally got inspired,” he said of the Harry Belafonte calypso tune from yesteryear. David Kauahikaua, a recording industry wizard who also is member of DeLima’s Na Kolohe group, tweaked and recorded the novelty, complete with singing chorus.
DeLima continues to be the vox populi with this parody, which he penned with lyricist Patrick Downes. In the past, they created novelties to popular songs that reflected the consciousness of the citizenry — remember the Rainbow Warriors tune for the Sugar Bowl game in Louisiana last year and that “bad day” earthquake that darkened the state a couple of years ago?
“Furlough Day” opens and closes with a ringing school bell.
Sample lyric:
“We go to class on Monday and on Tuesday,
“Friday come and we gotta stay home.
“Wednesday, Thursday, but Friday is a cruise day,
“Friday come and we gotta stay home.”
Donations to the Frank DeLima Student Enrichment Program are voluntary but support DeLima’s work with school youngsters.