She sang “Amazing Grace,” though with no discernible melody. Then the Lord’s Prayer, then “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” that with something like the tune.

I was in New York City a few summers ago, on the C train going downtown, when a woman with curly black hair almost two feet across stood in the middle of the car and sang, loudly and with an operatic flourish on the high notes at the end. She wore an orange tunic with lots of frills, and black pants stuffed into almost knee high brown leather boots.

A few people watched her, but most people kept doing what they had been doing, looking at their phones, reading, talking or just staring into space. Some of the people watching her smiled.

“I’m not ashamed!” she yelled at one point. “I’m not ashamed! I turned 79 on June 21st!” Then sh

See Full Page