Songs/poems our Mothers sang

Galen I am 52 and she used to sing it when I was about 10 I guess, I never really knew that she liked that song so much because she could relate to the story. Like others on here I have come to realise things about my Mum that have not really thought too much about before like how hard things were for her.

My baby brother died when I was in my teens, it was in December and everyone was getting ready for Christmas. We tried to carry on as normally as possible for the sake of the younger siblings and so a few days later we were watching a film on the BBC. It was called Captain Courageous, and Spencer Tracey sang a song called, 'Don't cry little fish'. It broke through all our resolve and I thought I would never stop crying, my brothers and I howled for what seemed like hours. The song stuck in my mind, and along with 'Daisy, Daisy', I sang it as my children's lullaby. I thought all the song's associations with my brother's death had been resolved, but last year (44years after my brother's death) I visited a friend whose children were watching an old black and white film whilst we adults were talking in the kitchen - suddenly I heard the song and the rush of emotion I felt was extraordinary. It was the first time I'd heard the song since my brother's death and I burst into tears. Songs from childhood can be incredibly powerful.

Joannapiano

Put a bit of treacle on my puddin' Mary Ann
Mary Ann, Mary Ann, Mary Ann
Cover it, smother it, don't you stop
Till you can't see the puddin' for the treacle on the top
I like puddin' when the puddin' is a good-un
And I don't want cake or jam
So put a bit of treacle on, treacle on, treacle on,
Treacle on my puddin' Mary Ann.

F W Leigh & Harry Champion

Harry Champion sang a lot about food... Boiled Beef and Carrots, A Little bit of Cucumber and the like... a huge star in his day.

A poem my mum taught me, I have no idea of it's origin.

Dear mother has a headache,
She is resting for a while.
The kitchen looks so lonely without her happy smile.
The baby's face is dirty,
Untidy is the floor.
If Mother didn't live here we'd be quite lost, I am sure.
I've had my ten years birthday,
It's time I took a turn.
I'll put on Mother's apron and do my best to learn.
I'll polish up the fireplace,
The floor I'll clean and sweep
And then I'll wash the baby's face and coax her off to sleep.
I'll put on Mrs. Sukie and make the table nice
And then get ready for Mother the toast, a lovely slice.

(Mrs. Sukie is the kettle, apparently, I have never heard it called that anywhere else)

My Dad used to sing the first line of "Oh God, our help in ages past" when Mum was in one of her moods!

Polly put the kettle on, Polly put the kettle on , Polly put the kettle on , we'll all have tea. Sukie take it off again, Sukie take it off again, Sukie take it off again they've all gone away. I love the idea of the kettle being called Mrs Sukie!

When I was little I remember asking my mum to sing "The song that makes me cry about the little lambs" I do wish I could remember it now.

It started something like All in the April evening.... blah blah blah and then something like the sheep with their little lambs pass me by on the road

Does anyone know it? It never failed to make me blub !

Googled it, gillybob

All In An April Evening Hymn

All in the April morning,
April airs were abroad;
The sheep with their little lambs
Pass'd me by on the road.

The sheep with their little lambs
Pass'd me by on the road;
All in an April evening
I thought on the Lamb of God.

The lambs were weary, and crying
With a weak human cry;
I thought on the Lamb of God
Going meekly to die.

Up in the blue, blue mountains
Dewy pastures are sweet:
Rest for the little bodies,
Rest for the little feet.

Rest for the Lamb of God
Up on the hill-top green;
Only a cross of shame
Two stark crosses between.

All in the April evening,
April airs were abroad;
I saw the sheep with their lambs,
And thought on the Lamb of God.

NOT that I wanted to make you cry!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for that Zengran I didn't realise it was a hymn.

Even reading it through brings tears to my eyes.

I used to sing that to annoy my DH. We both hated it but were made to sing it every April in choir.

My mum, being a thespian, had a "number" that used to be called for when times were jolly. Assuming the correct stance for the character (hand on jutted hip) she would begin....

Oh I wish I was a fascinating b**
I'd never be poor, I'd always be rich......

I won't proceed, as the tenor of the thread is soft and gentle, and I'd hate to sully the content!!

By contrast, my Gran used to teach me hymns and my favourite was Gounod's Ave Maria.

Oh, Tizzy that brought back memories - of the aftermath of a Tupperware party, in army married quarters, would you believe? It had gone on, and on. Some of the older women nipped off to the pub, and came back later when the rest of us had hit the sherry. This was the 1970s, so we hadn't discovered the joys of wine.(Ex military wives- remember NAAFi "FOG")

The party developed from there, with one older woman slumped in a chair singing "The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen" and my friend and I doing a turn with "I wish I was..." With actions, I recall. OH dear. And the hostess's husband had come home and sat himself quietly in a corner and observed it all. And reported back with glee.

Sorry, folks, I digressed.

Mum never sang. My man used to hum all the time, but nothing recognisable
My dad would often recite the ditty

Oh dear what can the matter be
Two old ladies locked in the lavatory
There was Mrs Brown with a hole in her knickers..........

Can anyone finish it for me ?

nan not man

They were there from Monday to Saturday
Nobody knew they were there.

Didn't know the 3rd line which won't work with my ending.

Teach my gd the one about My mother said I never should.... as a clapping rhyme but change gypsies to naughties in the interests of PC.

Also when choosing a person with a rhyme. Eenie meenie miney mo catch a 'tiger' by his toe.

A shame to loose the old rhymes because they are racist.

Thats quite a sad story grannyactivist crying does help, I also lost a brother, it was before I was even born but stories of him were many, so strangely it was also around Christmas time, it was when I was an adult that I found out just why my Father did not enjoy Christmas too much.

Well they are with the angels now and what a jolly good place to be

Another bed time song was this - or something like it. (I alway thought the Angels were up on the ceiling peering down at me)

Go to sleep my baby
Close your pretty eyes,
Angels up above you
Watching at you dearly from the sky;
Great big moon is shining
Come now don't you cry
Time for little picanninies
To go to sleep

She used to bang out Cherry Ripe and Molly Malone on the piano too (not at bed time!)

Cherry Ripe, cherry ripe
Ripe I cry
Full and fair ones,
Come and buy

I'm coming over all maudlin remembering these

My Mother loved Burl Ives and the only songs she sang to me were I know an Old Lady Who swallowed a Fly, and The Big Rock Candy Mountain. I can remember the first one and sing it to my GC but I can 't remember many words to the second one, I just tra lah it !we sang Cherry Ripe at school and I loved it and was always singing at home much to the irritation of my family,I never was able too sing in tune.

I have never heard my Mum sing, read a book or read poetry, she was an avid reader but to herself not to us! I learnt to read as quick as I could, I couldnt wait to be able to tell myself a story. It was the one thing I looked forward to most with my DC bedtime stories.

grannyactivist that is so sad.My baby brother died when I was 4 and my sister was 2.Don't have any song associations just a memory of a small white coffin resting on my mums knee.His name was Joseph and a song with that name can sometimes bring tears.

My mum did not have a good voice, never stopped her singing! She was a great mimic and often sang in the stylie of - hilda ogden used to clear the kitchen when she was busy, doris day woke us up in the morning. My gran and my mum singing along to the radio in the kitchen, happy days.

'Mairsy Doats and Dozy Doats and Little Amzy Divy' - is what I thought the words were, all the names of people - (Little Amzy Divy on a diving-board and the Doats brothers Mairsy and Dozy) until I read 'Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy' - not nearly so interesting!