G'wan Home, Ya' Mudder's Callin'

MUDDER AND ME.

Many of us have memories of our mothers singing songs to us when we were children. My mother, The Dowager Duchess, still tends to burst into song at the drop of a hat (I mean the drop of a word). I inherited that trait. Just about everything makes me think of a song. And if you want me to remember something forever, just put it to music. The Duchess's favorite songs for children were not those sweet little ditties most mothers sang to their kids. Hers were old vaudeville tunes or songs from films. I don't know if Good Housekeeping would give their seal of approval to these songs being sung to a 2-year-old, but I sure enjoyed them and will remember them forever. And whatever damage they may have done to my emotional development... well, I've learned to live with it.

THE DOWAGER DUCHESS AND THE ROYAL CONSORT (MY FATHER).

PRACTICING ONE OF THEIR TRADITIONAL LULLABIES.

(WITH THANKS TO MY COUSIN SHEREE FOR THIS CLASSIC PHOTO.)

The first song is one of my all-time favorites. In trying to find it online today, I learned that it's an old jumping-rope rhyme. I couldn't find a video of it being performed so you'll just have to imagine it being sung by the ever-surprising Dowager Duchess.

Oh, I won't go to Macy's anymore, more, more.

There's a big fat policeman at the door, door, door.

He'll grab you by the collar.

And he'll make you pay a dollar.

No, I won't go to Macy's anymore, more, more!

However, The Dowager Duchess apparently added her own personal twist to the last three lines. She didn't sing them as above. Her lyrics were:

(Note: The first "ch" combination is pronounced gutterally, like German.)

He'll squash you like a lemon.

Uchalotchka zulhimemnon.

No, I won't go to Macy's anymore, more, more!

I'm ending with The King's Jesters and their classic tune written in 1936. I originally had posted here a very brief video clip from the 1946 film, "Two Sisters from Boston," but the video has now been removed from YouTube for copyright infringement. This one contains the complete original song (although not performed by a bunch of chorus girls). The always appropriate Dowager Duchess would sing the verse from 2:42 to 2:51 while she did laundry.