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Clementine

Growing up, we did a lot of singing in the car, whether on road trips or just around town. We had this awesome tape called "Wee Sing Silly Songs" that wore through to the other side it had been played so many times. My mom found another copy of it a few years ago and sent it to me so Kate (who also had it growing up) and I did some fun reminiscing over the last year. Dad had his own repertoire of songs: "Rocky Raccoon" and "There's a Hole in the Bucket" were pretty high on the list.

Thursday night, Laura, Jeremy, and Nathan brought their instruments over and we sat on the porch for a few hours enacting the front porch version of Back Porch Music. Nathan had made copies of some lyrics, including one of my dad's and brother's favorites, "Clementine." He started playing it on the banjo and I knew it immediately. "In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine, lived a miner forty-niner, and his daughter Clementine." From the chorus, I knew it was a sad song, but the chorus and that first verse were all I could remember.

I was not prepared for this childhood memory to be ruined as we sang the entirety of the song:

In a cavern, in a canyon,
Excavating for a mine,
Dwelt a miner, forty-niner,
And his daughter Clementine.

Refrain:
Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling Clementine
You are lost and gone forever,
Dreadful sorry, Clementine.

2. Light she was, and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine,
Herring boxes without topses,
Sandals were for Clementine.

3. Walking lightly as a fairy,
Though her shoes were number nine,
Sometimes tripping, lightly skipping,
Lovely girl, my Clementine.

4. Drove she ducklings to the water
Ev'ry morning just at nine,
Hit her foot against a splinter,
Fell into the foaming brine.

5. Ruby lips above the water,
Blowing bubbles soft and fine,
But alas, I was no swimmer,
Neither was my Clementine.

6. In a churchyard near the canyon,
Where the myrtle doth entwine,
There grow rosies and some posies,
Fertilized by Clementine.

7. Then, the miner, forty-niner,
Soon began to fret and pine,
Thought he oughter join his daughter,
So he's now with Clementine.

8. I'm so lonely, lost without her,
Wish I'd had a fishing line,
Which I might have cast about her,
Might have saved my Clementine.

9. In my dreams she still doth haunt me,
Robed in garments soaked with brine,
Then she rises from the waters,
And I kiss my Clementine.

10. Listen fellers, heed the warning
Of this tragic tale of mine,
Artificial respiration
Could have saved my Clementine.

11. How I missed her, how I missed her,
How I missed my Clementine,
Til I kissed her little sister,
And forgot my Clementine.

posted by CP @ 10:17 AM 3 thoughts