Some of the sad songs included "The Orphan's Lament," which was the plaintive cry of two orphans who had to sleep out in the snow; "The Death of Floyd Collins," which told the true tale of a man who died in a cave; "May I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister?" which was the tale of a hobo whose wife left him for another man. Of course, the saddest song of all was about the sinking of the Titanic. I don't remember the title, but a few lines that went like this: "Husbands and wives, little children lost their lives. It was sad when that great ship went down."
The happy songs were: "Little Birdie In the Tree," "The Grasshopper Song," and of course lots of old-time hymns. I think she loved the hymns most of all. To this day, I know the words to a lot of hymns by heart, because my mother sang them over and over.
While perusing my book, "Heart Throbs," I found a poem about mothers who sing. The author is unknown. I think it's a neat little poem.
Copyright © Jay D Weaver - January 9, 2003
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| The Hopper With His Chopper |
When life's dark paean's plaintive round,
Fall 'cross the weary way,
To drown, in sighing, mournful sound,
The dirge of dismal day,
Then softly back lost strains will steal,
From cradle anthems run,
To drown the woes that sorrows feel,
In songs that mother sung.
And when the ebb of eventide,
Afar across the strand,
Sets out to where the billows ride,
Beyond life's shifting sand,
Then softly back above the roar,
Of mad, mad waters flung,
Oh! back, bring back to me once more
The songs my mother sung.
- author unknown