Every year, sometime before the end of January and the beginning of February, I open my home to fans of Pernell Roberts. We visit, learn about each other, watch videos of our favorite actor, and eat way too much. It is a merry time. This year we have felt the loss of this talented thespian: he passed away just over one year ago. While tears have been shed, we have spent more time celebrating his life, enjoying the fact that he left such a wealth of television and movie appearances from the mid-1950s till the end of the 1990s, many of which are now on DVD.
Missing a loved one is not something unique - most of us can identify with the feelings of loss, often mixed with the feelings of being blessed for having that person (or those persons) in our lives. It is important to celebrate those special people who have touched us. These people might be ancestors, close relatives, friends, or even people in celebrity status.
So here's the Singalong Challenge: A song that reminds you of someone no longer living, but that reminds you of that person in a positive way. And share why it is a special song in that way.
Since I am currently sitting here with fellow Pernell Roberts admirers, I would have to select a song that reminds me of him. An old English ballad called "Early One Morning" was one he sang on Bonanza as well as in a brief scene on Diagnosis Murder and recorded on a Bonanza cast album. In one of our last visits, we sang it together, giving me a lasting memory of a special time. To hear this song, check the YouTube recording of our local high school chorus - the Corona High School Madrigals - as they performed it in 2008.
Your turn - a song that reminds you of a special person, no longer living. It can be a listing of the lyrics, a link to the lyrics, an MP3, or a YouTube recording.
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I used to go to Grandma Gunders house and listen to her records. She had one that had a song that I memorized and loved for years. I even sang it to my own children. It always reminds me of summers at her house in California. I don't know quite why I loved it so much, but I always have.
ReplyDeleteHEY JIMMY JOE JOHN JIM JACK
(Livingston & Evans)
There once was a tiger, tiny little tiger
Playing with his tiger toys
But his nursemaid made him so afraid
He didn't dare make a noise.
What happened to the tiger, tiny little tiger
Who never learned to roar
He's just a mat, stretched out flat
On somebody's bedroom floor.
What we're saying is:
Hey Jimmy Joe John Jim Jack
Even little tigers lose their knack
When somebody twice their size
Can't see the world through children's eyes
There once was a beagle, happy little beagle
Following his tail around
But his mother said ""Go straight to bed,
And don't make a single sound""
What happened to the beagle, happy little beagle
Who never learned to bay -
Some burglars came, and to his shame
He turned tail and ran away
What we're saying is:
Hey Jimmy Joe John Jim Jack
Even little beagles lose their knack
When somebody twice their size
Can't see the world through children's eyes
There once was a bunny, fluffy little bunny
Through the piney woods he'd roam
But his father cried ""Come back inside
A bunny belongs at home.""
What happened to the bunny, fluffy little bunny
Who never learned to hop
Because the bunny couldn't hop
He hangs in the butcher shop
What we're saying is:
Hey Jimmy Joe John Jim Jack
Even little bunnies lose their knack
When somebody twice their size
Can't see the world through children's eyes
Don't do this, don't do that,
You might as well be a statue
That's how children lose their spark
But if grownups would take part in
Things that children have their heart in,
We'd never end up hiding in the dark.
What we're saying is:
Hey Jimmy Joe John Jim Jack
When you have your own kids let them know
Even though you're twice their size
You see the world through children's eyes
HEY JIMMY JOE JOHN JIM JACK!
Copyright Livingston and Evans
I remember that song on my favorite radio show in Chicago's. My whole family knew it. My mother enjoyed it a lot. Thanks for a great memory! I hadn't realized it was a Livingston & Evans (they wrote the Bonanza theme and Silver Bells).
ReplyDeleteJean, this song reminds me precisely Pernell, speaking of eyes, the look, was the first thing that impressed him, and that showed a sincere, good and transparent.
ReplyDeleteEarly in the morning is a very beautiful song, when you hear one of the chapters of Bonanza, and now I love my dad's learned on the piano, and my mom and I sing ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmA_PGFVa8A&playnext=1&list=PL2786FCFD51B3763F
The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the empty skies.
and the first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move in my hands
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love.
And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last and last and last till the end of time
The first time ever I saw your face, your face,
your face, your face
I know it's not Christmas for another 11 months, but every time I hear or think of "Oh Holy Night" I remember my dad singing his heart out with verve.
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh Hohhhhh-ly Ni-et. The Stars are Brrrri-eeetly shi-eening
It is the Ni-eeet of the dear Savior's birth.
It was the stretching out of the vowels into two sounds (there's a word for this I can't recall) that just made all of us kids crack up. He laughed too, knowing he was being dramatic. I can see his face and laughter thought he's been gone for 21 years.