Songs & poems you remember from childhood

Cafe Society
41

Ohhhhh…

"I went downtown to the Alligator Farm,
I sat on the fence, but the fence broke down.
An alligator bit me on the seat of my pants,
And he made me do the hootchy-kootchy dance.

Hootchy, kootchy, hootchy kootchy dance…" (etc.)

There are a bunch of physical gestures and movements that must be made in conjunction with the song. (“I went downtown…” = walk in place / “I sat on the fence…” = crouch down / “but the fence broke down…” = fall to the ground on your seat / “An alligator bit me…” = jump up in mock surprise / “And he made me do…” = do the hootchy-kootchy dance!)

42

Everything in The Tall Book of Make Believe. I happened to find it in print when my niece was little. I don’t know if she still has it or not. If she does, I want it back. I remember The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat, The Everlasting Lollipop, Mr. Nobody, The Swing and The Land of Counterpane (Robert Louis Stephenson) , The Mermaid, Bad Mousie, Susan’s Bears, How They Bring Back the Village of Cream Puffs When the Wind Blows It Away (Carl Sandburg), The Sugarplum Tree, and Moon Song. This, and the Little Bear books were the favorites of my childhood.

Moon Song

Zoon, zoon, cuddle and croon–
Over the crinkling sea,
The moon man flings him a silvered net
Fashioned of moonbeams three.

And some folk say when the net lies long
And the midnight hour is ripe;
The moon man fishes for some old song
That fell from a sailor’s pipe.

And some folk say that he fishes the bars
Down where the dead ships lie,
Looking for lost little baby stars
That slid from the slippery sky.

And the waves roll out and the waves roll in
And the nodding night wind blows,
But why the moon man fishes the sea
Only the moon man knows.

Zoon, zoon, net of the moon
Rides on the wrinkling sea;
Bright is the fret and shining wet,
Fashioned of moonbeams three.

And some folk say when the great net gleams
And the waves are dusky blue,
The moon man fishes for two little dreams
He lost when the world was new.

And some folk say in the late night hours,
While the long fin-shadows slide,
The moon man fishes for cold sea flowers
Under the tumbling tide.

And the waves roll out and the waves roll in
And the gray gulls dip and doze,
But why the moon man fishes the sea
Only the moon man knows.

Zoon, zoon, cuddle and croon–
Over the crinkling sea,
The moon man flings him a silvered net
Fashioned of moonbeams three.

And some folk say that he follows the flecks
Down where the last light flows,
Fishing for two round gold-rimmed “specs”
That blew from his button-like nose.

And some folk say while the salt sea foams
And the silver net lines snare,
The moon man fishes for carven combs
That float from the mermaids’ hair.

And the waves roll out and the waves roll in
And the nodding night wind blows,
But why the moon man fishes the sea
Only the moon man knows.

            Mildred Plew Meigs
43

My wife has a copy of that book. Some pretty strange stuff in there.

Here are a few that came to my mind…

Playmate, come out and play with me, and bring your dollies three, climb up my apple tree… For some reason that song always seemed sad to me.

All night, all day, Marianne, down by the seaside, sifting sand… I always thought Marianne must have been a few bricks shy of a load.

Toyland, Toyland, mystic merry toy land, once you pass its borders you can never return again. I remember thinking that this meant that once you go in, you can never come out again… pretty scary thought.

44

Of all the twelve 'round Odin’s throne
Balder the Beautiful, alone
The Sun God, good and pure and bright
Was loved by all as love light

But if you know the rest of the story all didn’t love light.