“When you’re weary, feeling small/ When tears are in your eyes …”

Never let anyone tell you that television is devoid of irony. Or radio, for that matter. And when the two mediums combine, well, watch for ironic cataclysms.

In the usual daily news cycle, there’re at least a handful of stories that make you go “Huh?” But the past few weeks have scarcely resembled business as usual for news.

However, the mumbling and bumbling by Clear Channel Communications has brought back that most sacred of news items: Something that makes people sit up and notice. And, in many cases, curse soon afterward.

The reason comes in the form of “The List” (with no relation to the short-lived VH1 show of the same name).

A he-said/she-said battle has clouded the issue. But most indications reveal that executives for the company, which owns more than 1,000 radio stations the world over, circulated a list of 150 songs that the suits “recommended” shouldn’t hit the airwaves in the wake of Sept. 11’s terrorist attacks.

Good taste for most of the corporate hierarchy means wearing the appropriate shoes with a dark suit. But initially, the idea makes sense. No one wants that eerie silence after the last notes of Steve Miller Band’s “Jet Airliner” — at least not now.

“I will dry them all / I’m on your side…”

But when corporations see that focus has shifted from products and onto things much more profound, weird things start happening. And in the case of Clear Channel, an overzealous hyperactivity will rob us of songs that can help heal our psychological wounds.

So it’s understandable to fly off the handle when many radio stations are advised to stay away from John Lennon’s “Imagine,” Cat Stevens’ “Peace Train” or Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” A few people have asked me for the rationale behind such moves. I say drug use, plenty of drug use.

The only thing you can do is quip and shrug, because in a humanistic view it makes no sense.

“When times get rough/ And friends just can’t be found …”

Truth be told, I can’t remember the last time “Bridge Over Troubled Water” played on the radio, unless a dance remix came out I wasn’t aware of. But that song and album of the same name from 1969 brought plenty of smiles when I purchased it — just as those a generation previous spun the album and smiled.

We all smiled a bit larger on Friday.

During the pop culture anomaly called “America: A Tribute to Heroes,” there was something that distracted from the People magazine’s who’s who and the appropriateness of Canadian Celine Dion singing “God Bless America.” Yes, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” played, and it was broadcast over Clear Channel airwaves.

In addition to the major networks and many popular cable stations that showed the event taped in New York, Los Angeles and London, some radio stations picked up the event as well.

So what if it was a public relations move for Clear Channel, bad taste villains during a very emotional time? Their radio stations played each nervous celebrity monologue, each thoughtful song selection and each beautiful note that Paul Simon sang.

The song became more contemplative in this performance, less a declaration of love than an offer for help you can’t refuse. No, Art Garfunkel didn’t appear, so it wasn’t the be-all and end-all on a show filled with equally poignant moments. Eddie Vedder, Neil Young and Stevie Wonder upped the creative ante, showing that good music transcends trends and the true artists can help in such insurmountable times.

But in all the memorable television moments this month, Paul Simon’s FDNY hat and song finally gave us a great image to cherish.

It was wonderful — a perfect song for just the right time. And it was the kind of irony that makes you smile while fighting off a tear.

“Like a bridge over troubled water/ I will lay me down.”