High hopes

My Mom sang to me all the time. From the minute I can remember she would rock me and sing to me. Not necessarily lullabies, but old classic standards and ballads from her day. Laten one night at a farm team baseball game my dad had to see I was so cold and so bored.and there above us was the if old moon, so she wrapped me in a stadium blanket and proceeded to sing. I'm in love with the man in the moon. I. 'm going to marry him soon. I can never look at that moon without seeing the face of my Mothers celestial suitor.

Some would be show tunes. Some standards fringed massive collection of sheet music. (always play the piano she told me and you'll be the most popular girl at the party . Then there were the dustbowl ballads. The appalachian traditionals passed down from generation to generation. Her older brother had been in a trio called the Black Diamonds and traveled the Midwest singing country songs (but not c&w)

There was a child singer my mom adored, Little Jimmie Sizemore who with his father Asher broadcAst a radio show from louisville kentucky. Little Jimmie was going about five when he started but he brought on such classics as chain gum and when lay me down to sleep that my. Mother felt compelled to send away for his little yellow songbook circa 1928. Somewhere I still have that songbook.

The song that really got me was Babes in the Woods. The song exists mainly in public domain with the lyrics and tune changing by region. My mom did some research on it and found it in a book titled Little Songs of long ago in london. A true handed down folk song. I cried every time heard it, and my mom sang it almost every night till I came to know those children and feel their plight. Like hansel and gretel it must have been written by Germans to keep three children from straying off.

I sang the song to my children but when I sang it to my granddaughter my son cringed, don,t sing her that horrible song.
"how well remember a long time ago, two babes in the woods whose names i don't know. They wandered away one bright summer day and were lost in the woods so I heard people say. And when it was night so sAd was their plight the sun had gone down and the stArs gave no light. They sobbed and they sighed and bitterly cried, poor babes in the woods they layed down and died. And when they were dead the robins so red brought strAwberry leaves and over them spread and sang them a song the whole day long, two babes in the woods are dead and gone."

Once there was a silly old ant, thought he could move a rubber tree plAnt, everyone knows an ant can't move a rubber tree plant
But he had high hopes. Would you like to swing on a star, carry moonbeams home In a jar, or better off than you are , or would you rather be a mule? Playmate come out and play with me, bring your dollies three,climb my apple tree. Look down myrain barrel, slide down my cellar door, and well be jolly friends forever more."

My mother actually found my daughter that played the song "Playmates.". Other songs were more contemporary, Seven Lonely Days, Que Cera, My Lonliness, LittleBrown Church in the Vale, You are my Sunshine ( my absolute favorite), How much is that Doggie inthe window, I can't remember them all.

My Mom left me a list of songs her parents sang to her: Barney Google, little brown jug, ducks and chickens, preacher and the bear.
So it was only natural that the first thing I did with my granddaughter was sing. Our repertoire is a little different. Mockingbird, Puff the Magicdragon, cottonfields, summertime, hushaby, stewball, edelweiss, feed the birds, my favorite things, the sweetest gift, and of course babes inthe woods, and my favorite, You are my sunshine.

I hope I get to do that again soon. Feeling her fall asleep in my arms midsong. Like my son did. Like my daughter did. Like I did, and my mother before me.