Dec. 29, 2004 - 00:06 PST

THE WONDERING JEW

Melodic Memories

Granddaughter and her Dad are off to her basket ball game and to watch a pro-game afterward. Heather in bed for quite awhile now. A spirit of peace surrounds the house, everybody in a comfortable, easy mood. My entry made already, midnight approaches adding to my mellow mood. Music plays in high fidelity in my memory, much clearer than in acutality.

There has been a tune playing in my mind tonight, one that goes back as far as I can remember. One that my Dad used to sing to my Mom. I loved that song and the meaning of the words of it too. I thought it was a song that Dad made up on his own, but on the off chance my Google finger pointed the way.

A short song, but oh, so sweet.

I had a dream dear,

You had one too,

Mine was the best dream,

Because it was of you,

Come, sweetheart tell me,

Now is the time,

You tell me your dream,

And I'll tell you mine.

I loved to hear my Dad sing, and to my mind he did a better job of it than any popular singer on the radio could. I Googled it and managed at one site to get the music up. That led me a bit further.

I giggled a bit and Googled further trolling for a tune that was a theme song for a radio program of my early memories. I didn't have the words quite right, but was close enough to stumble on that song too.

I'm looking over,

A four leaf clover,

That I overlooked before,

One leaf is sunshine, the second is rain,

Third is the roses that grows in the lane,

No need explaining the one remaining<

Is somebody I adore.

I'm looking over a four leaf clover,

That I overlooked before.

Such a perky, cheerful tune, full of fun and life. I loved it way before the words reached my understanding buy my love for it grew as I did.

Not willing to let the evening die, I remembered a song a DeMolay mate of mine used to play. After a meeting we would go over to our Chapter Dad's house and play ping-pong, oh well, hell, ya call it table tennis now. There was a piano in the big room and my friend would bow out after the first game and go to the piano and play. Much of it was popular music, but there was one he would always play during the evening that spoke to my heart, and it did even more when once I looked over his shoulder and read the words. It is a song in two parts, one sung by a man and the second by a woman. It was old probably when I was born, but the music lived. The title of it was, "I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls," I Heard that one sung over the radio, just once, but it is in my mind yet today.

Then memory of a record that Dad and Mom had surged up in my mind and I Googled, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," I rember winding up the Victrola, putting the record on and squatting in front to hear that to my hearts content.

Then my flakey memory skipped a bit and one that I remember from when I had been married not too long, that one bit the Google line too. "Sioux City Sue," that one was popular and constantly played in the restaurant when it was popular. Catchy and lively for sure.

Pure beauty brought one to my mind that I remember Elvis singing in a picture he made. "The Hawaiian Wedding Song," That man could sing and sang that one the very best. I was reading the provenance and found that it was copyrighted in 1926 by Charles E. King. He said he wrote the song while convalescing in Queens Hospital after an operation, for his operetta "Prince of Hawaii," It was first played by the Royal Hawaiian Band. There are Hawaiian words to it also.

Then in a prayerful moment I Googled, "How Great Thou Art," a magnificent song which I first heard sung by George Beverly Shea at Billy Grahams Denver Crusade, quite a number of years ago. What a what a soul stirring hymn that is. There is one hymn I seek and haven't found yet, I only have three words of it. "Love is the theme."

So, my interests are around love, peace and serenity as I walk the trail of Melodic Memories . . . . .

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