Streams of Music

I grew up in a very musical family. Before I was born my mother and three older sisters sang on the radio. When the family gathered, members would play musical instruments and others would sing along. One of the first songs I remember hearing was when my sister, Vera, sang to her children.

Baby’s boat’s a silvery moon

Sailing in the sky

Sailing o’er the sea of dreams

As the days go by

Vera had a whole box of sheet music that had been given her. I spent many evenings sitting by the piano while Vera played and we sang.

Goin’ take a sentimental journey

Goin’ set my heart at ease

Goin’ take a sentimental journey

To renew old memories

By my teen years, I was singing in a church quartet. Most of our songs came from the Stamps Baxter Quartet songbook.

Some glad morning when this life is o’er

I’ll fly away

To my home on God’s celestial shore

I’ll fly away

Of course, in church we sang the old hymns.

Amazing grace

How sweet the sound

As a teenager, I was not allowed to listen to popular music, so I missed all the songs of the late 50’ and 60’s. But I was in High School Chorale. One of the musicals we did had this song in it.

Summertime … and the livin’ is easy

Fish are jumpin’

And the cotton is high

Vera had a collection of records by Spike Jones and his Wacky Wackateers. One of my favorites was:

That old black magic has me in its spell

That old black magic that you weave so well

I was soon having babies of my own and once again singing the songs I had heard as a child.

There’s a big crybaby in the moon, moon, moon

That cries, cries, cries

Why would anyone sing that kind of song to a baby? But it was one everyone in my family sang.

As my kids got older, they began to branch out in their music tastes. And once again, everyone played an instrument or two. One of their favorite duets to play on the piano was:

Heart and soul

I fell in love with you

Heart and soul

When they reached their teens, they were allowed to sample other types of music. I was introduced to Queen:

We will, we will rock you

We will, we will rock you

I discovered the Carpenters and had every song they sang memorized. One of the regulars we all sang together was:

I want to teach the world to sing,

In perfect harmony

That’s a song that has words we need now.

One of the songs that helped me through my very hard times was sung by the Imperials:

Praise the Lord

For our God inhabits praise.

Praise the Lord

For those chains that seem to bind you

Fall powerless behind you

When you praise the Lord.

I see songs in the words on billboards. I hear songs in words other people say. When I see a “detour” sign I sing:

Detour

There’s a muddy road ahead

Detour

I had never had alcohol in any form when I began going with my husband, John. He wanted to introduce me to some of his very good friends, so we went to their house for dinner. In celebration, they brought out some very old and good wine. I went to sleep on their couch. I should have sung this song.

Show me the way to go home

I’m tired and I want to go to bed

Had a little drink about an hour ago

And it went right to my head

Right after 9/11, our nation sang a collective song. It was sung on airplanes, at meetings, at sports events and at schools.

God bless America

Land that I love

I’ve met a lot of people who say they aren’t musical. A very small percentage of people truly have no musical ability. Music is such good therapy. The next time you are having a bad day, burst out in song. Others will be surprised and you’ll feel better.

“Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp. Blow the ram’s horn at new moon, and again at full moon to call a festival!”  Psalms 81:2-3 (NLT)