The time you set sail

And the crowds always steamin, streamin and

Leanin on the rail

Then the big whistle blows

And I always lose my place

Next thing I know I cannot find your face

The other cover is Frank Loesser's classic "On A Slow Boat to China," a highly unlikely song to be sung in the present age of practicality. Women are not about to let themselves be whisked off to points unknown in this heyday of equal rights, and the great romantics who might have enacted such scenes seem to have gone down with The African Queen. Ahh, well.

SOMEWHERE OVER CHINA gives us a little romance, necessary to alleviate the burdens of a difficult era. In addition it highlights Buffett's artistic innovation, proving that his philosophy of relaxed attitudes toward life is not confined to a single time zone or climate like the oceanside settings of his previous albums. He expands his island-nurtured philosophy to new regions with Somewhere Over China, inspiring those who hope to make it in this world without becoming Type A stress cases.

Some may complain that Buffett merely romanticizes an elapsed era which is of little relevance today. But the past three decades have proved to be a dry spell for romantics, who are a vanishing breed as it is. Barraged with the likes of Joseph McCarthy, Sirhan Sirhan, Gordon Liddy and Rosie Ruiz, we have been wanting for heroes. And it will be a long time before anyone romanticizes budget cuts--besides they're boring things to sing about.