Six Word Memoirs on Life Stories

Dragonflower says,

It's a song we used to sing in my ballet class. It was in French. I don't know how to spell it since I never saw it in writing. Sounds like "fraw a jackwa, fraw a jackwa, dorme vous". It was something about sleeping maybe? Have no idea why we sang it in ballet class. I was less than 5 years old, I know. Pepperming Playhouse was the name of the ballet studio. Remembering, it is almost like I am there again in my little tutu and tights that always bagged down. PS. I had that same bagginess trouble when panyhose was invented. !!

ba_miracle says,

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping...Brother John or (dear)?...morning bells are ringing...ding ding dong :-)


Mine was Jesus loves me, Jesus loves the little children, Ms. Mary Mac, American Pie, Tie a yellow ribbon. The soundtrack to Disney's Sleeping beauty.

favepeep says,

Frère Jacques,
Frère Jacques,
Dormez vous?
Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines,
Sonnez les matines,
Din, din, don!
Din, din, don! is the tune you are talking about, Autumn.
It's in French; I learned the French and English versions at the same time, many years ago. Not sure how old you are, but I believe that almost everyone "of a certain age" learned the song when they were children and it still is a part of children's songs/nursery rhyme compilations.

English version:
Are you sleeping,
Are you sleeping?
Brother John?
Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing,
Morning bells are ringing,
Ding ding dong,
Ding ding dong.

favepeep says,

Great question, CF. I meant to add that one of my earliest memories of music was the song, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," by the Platters; I heard it on the radio when riding with my mother on many occasions and forevermore will associate it with her. I'm sure I could come up with lots more if I ponder on it, which I will!

Dragonflower says,

Yes!! Thank you Favepeet and ba_miracle!! That is the song. So glad you could understand my "sounds like" version of it!! And thank you canadafreeze for such a great question; taking me back to such a long time ago! Since ballet had french directions in its dance movements, I think that might be why we learned that song in french. I never thought about that before today.

OH and typo in orig comment - my ballet studio was called Peppermint Playhouse. Not that anyone cares, but it amazes me that remembering that song includes the name of the studio. It was over 50 years ago! Power of music!

Bevvie says,

Who's the leader of the club
that's made for you and me
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

(ALSO HELPED ME TO SPELL)

maryjane31 says,

I keep remembering the song "Would you rather swing on a star" by Bing Crosby. Remember singing it all the time as a child.

Would you rather swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a Mule?

Wench says,

Bevvie, after my mom's cousin went to Disney Land and brought back a Mickey Mouse hat for my great-grandmother, she was dubbed the leader of the club. Because her birthday fell in around the winter holidays, we had an 'unbirthday' party for her every year instead, in the summer and we always sang, "Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me? M-O-M-M-O-M M-O-U-S-E." So, I guess, that's the song from my childhood.

MO_Thoughts2 says,

The Smokey the Bear Song ... here's the first verse and chorus. I knew all the verses by heart. Four or five years back, I remember asking a younger Park Ranger if he knew the song. He looked at me like I was crazy ... then the older guy starting singing it and we sang to together while the young guy shook his head at us :-)

With a Ranger's hat and shovel
and a pair of dungarees,
you will find him in the forest
always sniffin' at the breeze.
People stop and pay attention
when he tells 'em to beware,
'cause ev'rybody knows that
he's the Fire Prevention Bear.

Chorus:
Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear.
Prowlin' and a growlin' and a sniffin' the air.
He can find a fire before it starts to flame.
That's why they call him Smokey,
That was how he got his name.

canadafreeze says,

I love all these rememberies - the stories are great and the affection comes through. Thanks for sharing.

Steve__Anthony says,

Lonely Boy - Andrew Gold

accidentaltourist says,

Dr. Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker, number 1 (which had a sort of hand jive game to it).....This Old Man, he played one (which we sang in the car when we went to Grandma's on Sunday for dinner)....as well as the Sunday school songs like How Great Thou Art and Do Lord (does anyone else know that one?). My Darlin' Celmentine, This Land Is Your Land, and all the jump rope chants I learned on the playground.

Dhani says,

'DON'T FENCE ME IN' (1940s radio song that energized my life-journey...)

Believe says,

Pennies From Heaven and You Are My Sunshine.

But I spent an excessive amount of time sitting on a piano bench with Für Elise and Music Box Dancer. And The Homecoming. And moonlight Sonata, and and and...

accidentaltourist says,

My daughter teaches ballet to tiny dancers, and they love "Lavender Blue" (dilly dilly) for their warm-up. She laughs at the song, which is ridiculous to her. She laughs even more at me because I know all the words, from all those magical hours spent my grandmother, singing without inhibition as she played the piano.

canadafreeze says,

What a lovely, nostalgic songbook.

Dhani says,

I refuse to use a SCREEN to hide my identity. Ask me my address or cell phone number & I'll quickly cough it up...

Dhani says,

OOPS! The above comment was to be posted to the memoir 'Explain what inspired your sixer name'. Sorry!

sisterpoet says,

So crazy but I have memories of "Killing me softly" playing on a "boom box and being so moved by g-d knows what in that song...the voice? the tone? the words? I was way too young to understand any of it but it spoke to me.
Fast forward to a Kareoke bar on Christopher street in the Village in NYC and you could see a middle aged woman (me) belted that one out like she was 12 again.