Songs/poems our Mothers sang

Zengran wow, talk about a guilt trip for poor little ten year olds - bet it was written by a mother

Grannyeggs

Oh the buzzing of the bees in the cigarette trees,
And the soda water fountain,
The lemonade springs and the bluebird sings
In the big rock candy mountain.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine was my Mum's lullaby when we were little. She even sang it to her first great grandchild when he visited us at the age of six weeks or so. She had a sweet voice even in old old age and would often sing hymns – they have such rousing tunes, don't they?

I am 82 and still knock out all the good oldies of the 30s & 40s on my old squeeze box .Like it best in summer when we open the French doors and the neighbours sit in their gardens and have a singalong. always starting with MY OLD MAN.

MY OLD MAN - 's a Dustman? or Said Follow the Van?

Thanks absent

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

That made me laugh! And I remember my Dad's habit, when Mum was 'in one of her moods' of raising his eyebrows at we boys and saying 'Chopper's on...' or 'Liver's fourpence a pound...' and grinning.

Daisyanswerdo - the full words for your song...

I know a ditty nutty as a fruitcake
Goofy as a goon and silly as a loon
Some call it pretty, others call it crazy
But they all sing this tune:

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?

Words & Music by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston

Imagine - it took three people to write that!

I think my mum used to sing this one - regardless, it is one of my favourites
When I was just a little girl my mother said to me
Will I be pretty will I be ?????
Que Sera sera whatever will be will be
The futures not mine to see
Que sera sera

Now I sing to my young grandchildren the song sung at christenings

Jesus loves ..(name) ...... Yes he does yes he does.

When my new grandson came along I was looking adoringly into his eyes
Singing Granny Loves Ryan yes she does yes she does when my daughter (mum of David) shouted through "thats David you have there" duh

Will I be rich
Here's what she said to me
Que sera etc

Oh feetle my mother used to sing I'll Walk Beside You (going back to page 1 of this thread). And you know it was also when she took a break from housework. She would sing hymns and things all the time - one of her favourites was "I Come to the Garden Alone (while the dew is still on the roses)".

I've avoided reading this thread because I though it may make me tearful and it has ... but in a good way.

My mother used to sing Brahm's Lullaby to us when we were little.

Thank you feetlebaum - I've never seen the whole song written out like that before. No wonder I was confused. I used to hear it sung during the war. I also remember Arthur Askey singing 'Oh what a wonderful thing to be, a healthy grown-up busy busy bee . . . Buzz if you like but don't sting me.'

Ah-ha! Silly B song, isn't it? Askeyhad quite a lot of 'animal' songs - one was about a moth, I remember.

Thank you Galen

Thanks Feetlebaum I love the Dozy Dotes song.

absent & Grannyeggs

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
The cops have wooden legs
The bulldogs all have rubber teeth
And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs.

The farmer's trees are full of fruit
Their barns are fullof hay
Oh I want to go
Where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall
ANd the wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

Ohhhhh.......

My mum never sang, but Dad used to sing Magic Moments, Hello Dolly, and On the Street Where she lived

However my best friends Nan and her lodger Mabel, both real old cockneys taught us all the old songs, any old iron, who;s your lady friend, my old man said follow the van - and this = which I sang to my children, and now to my GD- even though its morbid!( sing in cockney accent !!!)

A mother was bathing her baby one night
The youngest of 10 and a poor little mite
She turned for to get the soap off the rack
She was only a moment but when she turned back
Her baby was gone ! The poor mother cried
'Oh Where is my baby ' - The angels replied
' Your baby has gone down the plug hole
Your baby has gone down the plug
The poor little thing was so tiny and thin
It should have been bathed in a jug
Your baby is perfectly happy
'He won't need a bath anymore
He's gone to live with the angels
Not lost , but gone before'

Does anyone remember a song called "Lilac Trees" it was about a little black boy who was warned by his grandma not to stray too far away because the white children wouldn't play with him.
I know the words but I don't think they would be seen as politically correct today if I quoted them, I used to ask her to sing it but I always ended up in tears as I felt so sorry for the little boy who had no one to play with.I think she first heard it at one of the old music halls she used to go to when she was young.

Sheilagh gulp. Isn't it funny reading these posts how many messgaes there were in the songs and we didn't realise. Maybe they did teach us things but those teaching the songs didn't realise.

My mother sang a song to my children, I can't personally remember her singing it to me but it went ' Jonny was a soldier boy' That's it, it was sad, it was about war, there would have been a message but I can't really remember any more. Ring any bells anyone?

My father in law (and his father before him) has a fund of songs for every occasion. When our children were small no family gathering was complete without us all joining in with him singing:

We went to the animal fair,
The birds and beasts were there,
The big baboon by the light of the moon
Was combing his golden hair.

The monkey did a bunk,
And slid down the elephant's trunk,
The elephant sneezed - AHCHOO!
And fell on her knees,
And what became of the monkey
Monkey, monkey, monkey monkey..?

And yes, now that my children are all adults we STILL end up singing the same songs. I love my father in law.

sook My auntie sang a version of the canary song but her canary 'it departed -to the sound of applause'

Ga we used to sing Animal Fair at Guides

I remember we always used to sing on long journeys in the car. We went to Wales with my friend and her family. They thought I was mad because I kept braking into song. I was surprised that every family didn't do what we did!

We used to sing something about . "He sat down beside her and played his guitar" he ended up in hell " he frizzled and fried" and "she went to heaven and flip flap she flew." One of Dad's favourites, may be old Music hall song as he loved them.

Lovely, lovely thread - so many happy , funny and poignant memories. Mum sang My Bonny lies over the Ocean, Red Sails in the Sunset, "shenandoah, when Dad was away at sea, Granny and Granda sang to us, the first memory I have is of a lullaby, soothing, repetitive, called Wee Birdie, guaranteed to put babies to sleep, I used it for all ours and for all DGCs. I always thought it was a made up lullaby till to my delight I found it in a book of old Scots rhymes and songs. We also sang in the car, at Brownies, round the piano, oh what happy memories and some tears too. Thank you. X

My mum sang Shenandoah (not sure if I have spelled it right?) to me too Sonsybesom happy days. Also something that started In a cottage in a wood, little man at the window stood, saw a rabbit running by

nonna I have been surprised how many versions of the canary song there are.

susieb755 I came across your song about the baby in a childrens poetry book. It was written in Cockney accent.