Sunday, October 25, 2009

Songs My Mother Taught Me . . . Mairzy Doats

lamb in pen spring 2007 by marezlove
lamb in pen spring 2007 by
marezlove


{This is the tenth in an undetermined number of songs my mother taught me I'm posting this month in her memory. For background, please visit the post containing the first song, Ivory Tower.}


I love this song my mother taught me when I was a little kid(!) I can actually remember the first time my mother sang it for me and the excited twisty feeling of my brain working to switch off the nonsense words and plug into their becoming words with meaning, words that I knew. Quite likely, my first "Ah-Ha!" moment was learning Mairzy Doats.






To hear the original Mairzy Doats recorded in 1944
by Merry Macs......click!


MAIRZY DOATS (Merry Macs) - lyrics

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey
Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy"

Oh! Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you-oo?
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?



It is not true that the younger generation doesn't sing these kinds of silly songs anymore. The little girl, named Kennedy, in this video is adorable singing Mairzy Doats. Embedding has been disabled so you'll need to click the link to hear her version.  The same is true with the video featuring two boys and their lamb named Ivy who sing the song at the beginning of this video.


Be silly. Be honest. Be kind. 
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Long live silly songs.
-Lydia
.

9 comments:

j said...

My paternal grandfather, a dour & often unfriendly man who insisted that I call him Grandfather Casey (which I would shorten in conversation to GFC) would sign this song. It's one of the few playful memories I have of him. And we sing it to Galen sometimes, too. I think it's a song with staying power!

kj said...

dear lydia, i have been lurking on your blog. i often come in late at night when i cannot listen to sounds without waking my household, so i have to catch up abit. i love the tribute you are offering to your mother and your visitors. it is simply wonderful.

xoxo
kj

Phivos Nicolaides said...

Be silly. Be honest. Be kind. BE A KID!! Long live silly songs and silly our life!!! Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

Haha... It's hilarious!!
Aunt, I feel I missed a lot as I couldn't read your many wonderful posts. My semester final has finished few days back and I'm on training now... I wish I could be here everyday!
Miss you....

Looking to the Stars said...

I LOVE IT! I am forever a silly heart and I am with you, long live silly songs :)

have a good one!

Owen said...

Hi Lydia, lovely soft woolly little story here... just keep on kidding along.

And I missed a few posts here (but not forgotten) and I loved your tribute to Steve Goodman in the piece about the Dutchman... just in case you may not have seen it, another great one from the late Steve G. is his "Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request", which you can see here :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xBxZGQ1dJk

He was great ! I had the good fortune to see him twice in Philadelphia, once at the Tower Theatre, which is a fairly small place, but even better was in the North Star Bar, at a table right next to the stage... he was fantastic... a total shame he had to leave us so soon...
:-(

Margaret Pangert said...

Hi Lydia~ I remember this song from my childhood, too, and love your "ah-ha" add! Definitely true. Those boys and their Mom (in the video) were such kind, gentle people. I could watch them forever. And they got the song really well! The little girl knew that song, too, plus there was the perk of the little boy playing peek-a-boo! I'm like kj: I love to hear some of these songs over and over, i.e., Itsy Bitsy Spider and Ol' Man River. Thank you! And did Emerson really write, "Be silly."? Very nice! Let's do it!

Lydia said...

@Jennifer- What an interesting story about your grandfather. Whew, at least he provided a couple of fun memories for you. I'm glad Galen is becoming familiar with the song; it's not like flying in a room, but it's pretty much fun. :)

@kj- Lurking! Love it. Come and lurk anytime. Sorry for all the noise lately with the vids! But I love that you enjoy my tribute.

@Phivos- Your comments are perfect! Yes, be a kid and have a great week. :)

@Riyadh- Exams over and now in training? Oh my, I thought you would at least get a little break! It's a good thing you are focused on your goals. But I do hope you have a chance to relax soon. Miss you too and it's great hearing from you. :)

@Looking to the Stars- I wonder if you've been humming this song to yourself throughout the day like I did! I pruned a big bush outside and realized that I was singing it loud enough for the neighbors to hear. They may have been in their hot tub at the time, in which case they got a weird concert. :)

@Owen- Thanks for being here and for, once again, being full of the most interesting information! I swear, you've had a really interesting life so far. I actually saw the Dying Cubs Fan video when I was working on the post. Had been unaware of that strong tie with the team until then. You are SO fortunate to have personal memories of Goodman, as you've been touched by a sweet greatness. I'm sure he read your appreciation in your eyes...

Lydia said...

@Margaret- It's just so cool that you understand the "Ah-Ha" Moment. I'm loving these shared musical memories this month. :)
I watched the little boys again with my husband and he wanted to know where the family lived, so we checked their youtube channel. They are in New Zealand and from the glimpse of the countryside and, as you mention, the tenderness of the people we see there I'm all for a trip to NZ.
I did indeed get the Emerson quote from one of those online quote sites that attributed it to him. Great advice!

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