<p>I think this is a charming thread and it has really got me to thinking.
DH Blackbird the Beatles
S1 either Fooling Yourself (the Angry Young Man) by Styx or Septemeber by Earth Wind and Fire, he is a musician with complex and obscure taste and this is probably the only song we both like.
S2 still working on it he is a VP major so there are soooo many songs that bring him to mind…</p>
<p>Mathson’s song is White & Nerdy by Wierd Al Yancovich.</p>
<p>They see me mowin’
My front lawn
I know they’re all thinking
I’m so White N’ nerdy</p>
<p>Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white n’ nerdy
Look at me I’m white n’ nerdy!
I wanna roll with-
The gangsters
But so far they all think
I’m too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Really, really white n’ nerdy</p>
<p>First in my class here at M.I.T.
Got skills, I’m a Champion of DND
MC Escher that’s my favorite MC
Keep your 40
I’ll just have an Earl Grey tea
My rims never spin to the contrary
You’ll find they’re quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Steven Hawkings in my library
My MySpace page is all totally pimped out
I got people begging for my top 8 spaces
Yo I know Pi to a thousand places
Ain’t got no grills but I still wear braces
I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I’m a whiz at minesweeper I can play for days
Once you see my sweet moves you’re gonna stay amazed,
my fingers movin’ so fast I’ll set the place ablaze
There’s no killer app I haven’t run
At Pascal, well, I’m number 1
Do vector calculus just for fun
I ain’t got a gat but I gotta soldering gun
Happy days is my favourite theme song
I can sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I’ll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I’m fluent in Java Script as well as Klingon
Here’s the part I sing on</p>
<p>They see me roll on, my Segway!
I know in my heart they think I’m
white n’ nerdy!
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white n’ nerdy
Look at me I’m white n’ nerdy
I’d like to roll with-
The gangsters
Although it’s apparent I’m too
White n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
I’m just too white n’ nerdy
How’d I get so white n’ nerdy?</p>
<p>I’ve been browsing, inspectin’
X-men comics you know I collect 'em
The pens in my pocket
I must protect ‘em
my ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored
Shopping online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have you ROTFLOL
I got a business doing websites
When my friends need some code who do they call?
I do HTML for them all
Even made a homepage for my dog!
Yo! Got myself a fanny pack
they were having a sale down at the GAP
Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap
POP POP! Hope no one sees me gettin’ freaky!</p>
<p>I’m nerdy in the extreme and whiter than sour creme
I was in AV club and Glee club and even the chess team!
Only question I ever thought was hard
Was do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?
I spend every weekend
at the renaissance fair
I got my name on my under wear!</p>
<p>They see me strollin’
They laughin’
And rollin’ their eyes ‘cause
I’m so white n’ nerdy
Just because I’m white n’ nerdy
Just because I’m white n’ nerdy
All because I’m white n’ nerdy
Holy cow I’m white n’ nerdy
I wanna bowl with-
the gangsters
but oh well it’s obvious I’m
white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Look at me I’m white n’ nerdy!</p>
<p>Younger brother is more complex. Still thinking…</p>
<p>For D, the Shaker Hymn “Simple Gifts”</p>
<p>For S, no song. When he was a toddler in his car seat and I would sing along with the radio, he would scream, “Mama no sing.”</p>
<p>This one’s for my Dad:</p>
<p>“Kisses Sweeter Than Wine”</p>
<p>(Words by Paul Campbell and Music by Huddie Ledbetter)</p>
<p>Well, when I was a young man never been kissed
I got to thinkin’ it over how much I had missed
So I got me a girl and I kissed her and then, and then
Oh, lordy, well I kissed 'er again</p>
<p>Because she had kisses sweeter than wine
She had, mmm, mmm, kisses sweeter than wine
(Sweeter than wine)</p>
<p>Well I asked her to marry and to be my sweet wife
I told her we’d be so happy for the rest of our life
I begged and I pleaded like a natural man
And then, whoops oh lordy, well she gave me her hand</p>
<p>Because she had kisses sweeter than wine
She had, mmm, mmm, kisses sweeter than wine
(Sweeter than wine)</p>
<p>Well we worked very hard both me and my wife
Workin’ hand-in-hand to have a good life
We had corn in the field and wheat in the bin
And then, whoops oh lord, I was the father of twins</p>
<p>Because she had kisses sweeter than wine
She had, mmm, mmm, kisses sweeter than wine
(Sweeter than wine)</p>
<p>Well our children they numbered just about four
And they all had a sweetheart a’knockin’ on the door
They all got married and they wouldn’t hesitate
I was, whoops oh lord, the grandfather of eight</p>
<p>Because she had kisses sweeter than wine
She had, mmm, mmm, kisses sweeter than wine
(Sweeter than wine)</p>
<p>Well now that I’m old and I’m a’ready to go
I get to thinkin’ what happened a long time ago
Had a lot of kids, a lot of trouble and pain
But then, whoops oh lordy, well I’d do it all again</p>
<p>Because she had kisses sweeter than wine
She had, mmm…kisses…sweeter…than…wine</p>
<p>(I like the Peter, Paul and Mary version.)</p>
<p>mathmom, if the youtube of White and Nerdy is still out there, it’s one of our family favorites!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>LOL, you’re not alone. My younger brother would do the exact same thing when he was little, with both my mother <em>and</em> with me. He went on to be a vocal performance minor, the elitist little twit. ;)</p>
<p>gbesq, my sympathies. For the kids, a song I sang to DD (from a Sharon Lois and Bram CD):</p>
<p>Owl Lullaby</p>
<p>Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Who will talk to me? Who will answer me?
Who knows why I sing Hoo!
Who knows the reason why I sing this lullaby?
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!</p>
<p>The owls are flying, I hear them all sighing
Through the trees and the curtains
As they hurry on home,
With my feet on the limb,
And my eyes sad and lonely,
I sing Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!</p>
<p>And for my long-gone Grandma, Mahalia Jackson, who she heard only on cassette tape but loved.</p>
<p>True, White & Nerdy is even better with the video. 
We watched it quite a few times when it first came out.</p>
<p>For mathson’s younger brother maybe this one:</p>
<p>Garden Song
by David Mallett</p>
<p>CHORUS:
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
Gonna mulch it deep and low
Gonna make it fertile ground</p>
<p>Inch by inch, row by row
Please bless these seeds I sow
Please keep them safe below
'Till the rain comes tumbling down</p>
<p>Pullin’ weeds and pickin’ stones
We are made of dreams and bones
Need a place to call my own
'Cause the time is close at hand</p>
<p>Grain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature’s chain
Till my body and my brain
Tell the music of the land</p>
<p>CHORUS</p>
<p>Plant your rows straight and long
Season with a prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her loving care</p>
<p>OK, if you are going to dig as “deep” as Inch by Inch, go to Amazon.com and get Peter Paul and Mary’s CD “Around the Campfire”. 2 CD’s. If you can’t sing along with 75%, then you didn’t go to camp in the 70’s.</p>
<p>dragon, part of the reason I thought of “Inch by Inch” is that my birthday is coming up. I was at amazon to put Richard Thompson (I need to own 52 Vincent Black Lightening) on my wish list, a few clicks later I’d gotten to that very album and told dh to get it too. We sang an awful lot of those songs in Girl Scouts - though we sang alot of the Phil Ochs song book too.</p>
<p>I’d heard “100 Years,” on the radio a few times and had wondered who performed it. Poignant. Thanks, NYMom-</p>
<p>I think the song I sang most often, in answer to my kids’ “gimmees”, is “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” I only had to sing the first line, and they had their answer to whatever it was they (unreasonably) demanded.</p>
<p>I also made up songs for them, often in Spanish. Now that I’m an empty nester for the first time, I’m finding myself singing to my dog while we’re out walking!</p>
<p>Years ago, some of the most embarrassing moments I had were finding myself walking alone in town, singing Raffi songs quite loudly–somehow forgetting that the kids weren’t with me. I also remember being more excited about going to a Raffi concert than my kids were.</p>
<p>Inch by Inch is a favorite of mine. The preschool would use that in the slide show and all the Mom’s would end up in tears.
A couple of great son’s for Dad’s to Daughter-
From the probably little watched movie of Flicka- My Little Girl and I loved her First. I think they both might be by Tim McGraw.
The song I send to my oldest when she is feeling down is “Hero” by Mariah Carey
Lyrics
There’s a hero</p>
<p>If you look inside your heart</p>
<p>You don’t have to be afraid</p>
<p>Of what you are</p>
<p>There’s an answer</p>
<p>If you reach into your soul</p>
<p>And the sorrow that you know</p>
<p>Will melt away</p>
<p>And then a hero comes along</p>
<p>With the strength to carry on</p>
<p>And you cast your fears aside</p>
<p>And you know you can survive</p>
<p>So when you feel like hope is gone</p>
<p>Look inside you and be strong</p>
<p>And you’ll finally see the truth</p>
<p>That a hero lies in you
It’s a long road</p>
<p>When you face the world alone</p>
<p>No one reaches out a hand</p>
<p>For you to hold</p>
<p>You can find love</p>
<p>If you search within yourself</p>
<p>And the emptiness you felt</p>
<p>Will disappear</p>
<p>And then a hero comes along</p>
<p>With the strength to carry on</p>
<p>And you cast your fears aside</p>
<p>And you know you can survive</p>
<p>So when you feel like hope is gone</p>
<p>Look inside you and be strong</p>
<p>And you’ll finally see the truth</p>
<p>That a hero lies in you</p>
<p>Lord knows</p>
<p>Dreams are hard to follow</p>
<p>But don’t let anyone</p>
<p>Tear them away</p>
<p>Hold on</p>
<p>There will be tomorrow</p>
<p>In time</p>
<p>You’ll find the way
With the strength to carry on</p>
<p>And you cast your fears aside</p>
<p>And you know you can survive</p>
<p>So when you feel like hope is gone</p>
<p>Look inside you and be strong</p>
<p>And you’ll finally see the truth</p>
<p>That a hero lies in you</p>
<p>Greensleeves is a timeless and moving song to me.</p>
<p>gbesq, I am so sorry about your sister-in-law. How tragic that her children have lost her when they are so young! What an awful, awful disease ALS is. </p>
<p>mathmom and mom60, I can’t believe that someone else besides me likes “Inch by Inch” - I listen to the PPM version.</p>
<p>lspf72, I’m glad you like the song. There is a video of it on youtube with the singer/songwriter.</p>
<p>I know it’s lame but “Where the Moss Slowly Grows” by Tiger Army, the source of my user name, has gotten me through some tough times of missing my daughter.</p>
<p>"And so another journey has come to an end
Another moment passed that will not, will not come again
Resting in the shade of oak, so it has always been
And it’s true that I’ll miss you but I’ll see, I’ll see you again
I’ll see you again</p>
<p>Embrace this joy, this pain
Don’t miss this chance, it will not come again
You mean more than you may ever know
Don’t linger–where the moss slowly grows"</p>
<p>Find the River by R.E.M. for my second child (son) about to leave for college.</p>
<p>Hey now, little speedyhead,
The read on the speedmeter says
You have to go to task in the city
Where people drown and people serve.
Dont be shy. your just deserve
Is only just light years to go.</p>
<p>Me, my thoughts are flower strewn
Ocean storm, bayberry moon.
I have got to leave to find my way.
Watch the road and memorize
This life that pass before my eyes.
Nothing is going my way.</p>
<p>The ocean is the rivers goal,
A need to leave the water knows
Were closer now than light years to go.</p>
<p>I have got to find the river,
Bergamot and vetiver
Run through my head and fall away.
Leave the road and memorize
This life that pass before my eyes.
Nothing is going my way.</p>
<p>Theres no one left to take the lead,
But I tell you and you can see
Were closer now than light years to go.
Pick up here and chase the ride.
The river empties to the tide.
Fall into the ocean.</p>
<p>The river to the ocean goes,
A fortune for the undertow.
None of this is going my way.
There is nothing left to throw
Of ginger, lemon, indigo,
Coriander stem and rose of hay.
Strength and courage overrides
The privileged and weary eyes
Of river poet search naivete.
Pick up here and chase the ride.
The river empties to the tide.
All of this is coming your way</p>
<p>Anything but “Muskrat Love.”</p>
<p>For those who have never heard it. Tom Rush does the definitive version of Joni Mitchell’s “Circle Game” and in fact actually recorded it BEFORE she did. His album of the same name was the music that got me through any tough times throughout HS and college and is still my fall back music of choice when the mood or situation calls for it. </p>
<p>Released in 1968, it contains three covers of Joni songs as well as covers of songs by both James Taylor and Jackson Browne before they recorded them themselves. His deep voice, orchestral arrangements and amazing phrasings of the lyrics give the songs a very different feel from the other more familiar versions. </p>
<p>His own original song “No Regrets” is one of my all time favorites:</p>
<p>I know your leavin’s too long overdue
For far too long I’ve had nothin’ new to show to you
Goodbye dry eyes I watched your plane
Fade off west of the moon
And it felt so strange to walk away alone</p>
<p>No regrets, no tears goodbye
Don’t want you back, we’d only cry, again
Say goodbye, again</p>
<p>The hours that were yours, echo like empty rooms
The thoughts we used to share, I now keep alone
I woke last night and spoke to you,
not thinking you were gone
It felt so strange to lie awake, alone</p>
<p>No regrets, no tears goodbye
Don’t want you back, we’d only cry, again
Say goodbye, again</p>
<p>Our friends have tried to turn my nights to day
Strange faces in your place can’t keep the ghosts away
Just beyond the darkest hour, just behind the dawn
Still feels so strange to lead my life, alone</p>
<p>I’ve no regrets, no tears goodbye
Don’t want you back, we’d only cry, again
Say goodbye, again</p>