About Me

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Lake Mathews (Perris), CA, United States
Born in Illinois, I grew up in Wilmette, a northern suburb of Chicago. I have one sibling, an older brother. I am married, for the 2nd time now, to Butch & got 4 children in the deal. They have gone on to make me grandmother 25 times over & great-grandmother to over 20!. After many years working in industry, I got my bachelors and masters degrees in speech communication, & was a professor in that field for 13 years. I retired in 2001 & returned to school & got my doctorate in folklore. Now I meld my two interests - folklore & genealogy - & add my teaching background, resulting in my current profession: speaker/author/entertainer of genealogically-related topics. I play many folk instruments, but my preference is guitar, which I have been playing since 1963. I write the "Aunty Jeff" column for the Informer, newsletter of the Jefferson County NY Gen. Soc. I work in partnership with Gena Philibert-Ortega & Sara Cochran as Genealogy Journeys® where we focus on educating folks about Social History. More about that: genaandjean.blogspot.com. More on our podcasts: genjourneys.podbean.com. More about my own projects: Circlemending.org.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Sunday Singalong with Circlemending - Colors

We are in such beautiful country at the moment - the Southeastern US (traveled through Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee, so far) and have enjoyed the lush greens of the hillsides (though Butch says that it simply means that the area gets tons of rain, which I've never been overly fond of . . . he's probably right). On our travels, we listen to a lot of XM radio - 2 stations, primarily: XM-164, the classic radio shows of Butch's childhood; and XM-15, the Village - folk radio. One day, when we were tuned to the Village, the "disc jockey" (though today's discs sure are different from the ones they used to spin!) played a serious of songs using the word "blue." You can probably come up with a number of the songs that were included. Anyway, I thought, to make it a little broader, about using the theme "color" for today's Sunday Singalong with Circlemending. Last week's theme (food/drink) didn't seem to stir too many into suggesting anything, so maybe "color" will be a little less specific. You can suggest a song that has reference to a particular color, colors in general, or even one that just alludes to a color.

About a year and a half ago we had the opportunity to meet Barry McGuire (The New Christy Minstrels), and so I am going to put down my "offering": "Green, Green." Check out his 2007 YouTube rendition and see how he, like all of us, has changed when you compare it to the one by the New Christy Minstrels (Barry is the lead singer), originally recorded many, many moons ago. Well . . . the green is still there, in spite of the years that have passed (guess that song has received a lot of rain!).

Remember, for your song choice you can list all the lyrics or just a verse and/or chorus (ideally, the one with the color mentioned), or even just the title. Or provide a link to an MP3, YouTube video, or copy of the lyrics. Extra special: tell why the song came to mind!

Your turn. The more the merrier!

6 comments:

  1. Here's a Johnny Mercer song from the past that includes the color "Russet Brown." It's one of my favorites - EARLY AUTUMN.

    EARLY AUTUMN

    When an early autumn walks the land and chills the breeze
    and touches with her hand the summer trees,
    perhaps you'll understand what memories I own.
    There's a dance pavilion in the rain all shuttered down,
    a winding country lane all RUSSET BROWN,
    a frosty window pane shows me a town grown lonely.
    That spring of ours that started so April-hearted,
    seemed made for just a boy and girl.
    I never dreamed, did you, any fall would come in view
    so early, early.
    Darling if you care, please, let me know,
    I'll meet you anywhere, I miss you so.
    Let's never have to share another early autumn.

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  2. I love the Rainbow song that I used to sing to my children when they were small.

    Red and yellow and pink and green,
    purple and orange and blue,
    I can sing a rainbow,
    sing a rainbow,
    sing a rainbow too.

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  3. The first color song that came to my mind was, "The world is black, the world is white . . . " I'm such a 1970s girl. I learned to strum a few guitar chords way back when--Who didn't?--and it was in one of the song books that I had.

    I've just now realized the history behind the words: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_and_White_%28Three_Dog_Night_song%29

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  4. As usual when you ask me about a song my first thought turns to Linda Eder. It happens that one of my favorite songs of hers is the song, "Gold". Most folks have never heard of Linda (which is a darn shame), but they may have heard the song and not even realized it. Several years ago, gold medalist Kritsi Yamaguchi skated to it at the opening ceremonies. Of course I can't recall what year, but here are the lyrics:

    "I wonder if when all is done,
    Anyone heard my voice...
    But from the start, we have no choice
    Our journeys just begin

    I'll never know if I was right
    Did I fight hard enough?
    Or when the battles grew too rough,
    Should I have given in?

    But here I stand and swear to you:
    I did the best that I could do

    I know my voice was just a whisper
    But someone may have heard
    There were nights the moon above me stirred
    And let me grab ahold
    My hands... have touched... the GOLD...

    My heart's been driven by extremes,
    Blind with dreams, tight with fear
    But still, God knows that I was here,
    And oh I was alive! And now i lay the past to rest,
    For in the end, I did my best

    You have to live the life you're given
    And never close your eyes!
    You hold on and stare into the skies
    And burn against the cold
    For any moment you might find the GOLD!

    And there was joy through it all,
    And I am standing tall
    And though my voice was just a whisper,
    Someone must have heard!
    There were nights the moon above me stirred
    And let my life take hold!

    I rode across that sky!
    And once I touched the GOLD
    Here in my own two hands...
    I once held the GOLD"


    Have a great day!

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  5. I've always been a fan of Tom Jones. I used to watch his variety show when I was a kid. One of the songs I've always loved by him is, "Green Green Grass of Home". I have it on my ITunes.

    The old home town looks the same,
    As I step down from the train
    And there to greet me is my mamma and my poppa
    Down the road I look, and there runs Mary,
    Hair of gold, lips like cherries,
    It's good to touch the green, green grass of home

    Yes, they'll all come to meet me, Arms a-reachin', smilin' sweetly,
    It's good to touch the green, green grass of home

    The old house is still standin,'Though the paint is cracked and dry
    And there's that old oak tree, That I used to play on.
    Down the lane I'll walk with my sweet Mary,
    Hair of gold and lips like cherries
    It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.

    Then I awake and look around me,
    At the four gray walls that surround me,
    And I realize .Yes I was only dreaming,
    For there's a guard and a sad old padre,
    Arm in arm we'll walk at daybreak,
    And at last I'll touch the green green grass of home

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  6. Thanks, everyone, for adding some color to what was a rather dreary weekend at the beginning.

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