Songs My Mother Sang Me
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My Mom often rocked me to sleep when I was a very young boy,
As she rocked, she sang me sweet songs with her angel voice.
This poem reviews those songs she sang to me that I loved so,
Sometimes I think I can still here her singing so soft and low.
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Songs My Mother Sang Me
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When I was a young boy my Mom often sang songs to me then,
She had a beautiful voice that always soothed me to no end.
I recall a lot of the songs she sang to me in her rocking chair,
If I close my eyes tight, I can still hear her sweet voice so clear.
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“Oh where have you been Billy Boy, Billy Boy” was a song I loved,
Because it was like she was singing about me as my angel above.
The part about making a cherry pie quick as a cat can wink an eye,
Was the best part of this song very special called “Charming Billy”.
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.Here’s a little tune I know you will enjoy
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Lyrics To Charming Billy
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“Oh, where have you been,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Oh, where have you been,
Charming Billy?
I have been to seek a wife,
She’s the joy of my life,
She’s a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.
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Did she ask you to come in,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she ask you to come in,
Charming Billy?
Yes, she asked me to come in,
There’s a dimple in her chin.
She’s a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.
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Can she make a cherry pie,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make a cherry pie,
Charming Billy?
She can make a cherry pie,
Quick as a cat can wink an eye,
She’s a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.
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How old is she,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How old is she,
Charming Billy?
Three times six and four times seven,
Twenty-eight and eleven,
She’s a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.”
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There was a song called “Down By The Station” she sang me too,
About little “pufferbellies all in a row” with little horns and a crew.
The fun part was when she sang “Chug Chug Toot Toot off they go,”
I thought she was saying Billy’s instead of Bellies, so I loved it so.
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.Billy Ray loved this one.
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Lyrics to Down By The Station
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“Down by the station
Early in the morning
See the little pufferbellies
All in a row
See the station master
Turn the little handle
Chug chug toot toot
Off they go
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Down by the station
Early in the morning
See the shiny train cars
All in a row
Waitin’ to get hitched up
And go on their adventure
Chug chug toot toot
Off they go
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Down by the station
Early in the morning
See my favorite engine
Ready to tow
All the other train cars
Will follow on behind him
Chug chug toot toot
Off they go
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Down by the station
Early in the morning
Climb on aboard
And hear the whistle blow
Mr. Conductor
Please take my ticket
Chug chug toot toot
Off they go
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Down by the station
Early in the morning
See the little pufferbellies
All in a row
See the station master
Turn the little handle
Chug chug toot toot
Off they go
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See the station master
Turn the little handle
Chug chug toot toot
Off they go
Chug chug toot toot
Off they go”
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One song she really loved was “Come Out And Play With Me”.
The girls slid down the rain barrel with all their dollies three,
Until a dolly got the flu and the girl said boo hoo, boo hoo, boo hoo.
I loved this song too even though it was about girls and dolls too.
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This is a song JerrylDine and Billy Ray heard many times.
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Lyrics to Come out And Play with Me
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“Hey, hey, oh playmate,
Come out and play with me.
And bring your dollies three,
Climb up my apple tree.
Look down my rain barrel,
Slide down my cellar door.
And we’ll be jolly friends
Forever more.
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So sorry, playmate
I cannot play with you.
My dolly’s got the flu.
Boo hoo, boo hoo, boo hoo.
Can’t look down your rain barrel,
Or slide down your cellar door.
But we’ll be jolly friends
Forever more.”
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One song my Mom loved and I very often did even request it.
Was called “A Tisket, A Tasket” about a green and yellow basket.
She dearly loved that song from her childhood days with her sis,
When they sang that song together it was a heavenly bliss.
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I sang this song with my sister BuelDine as well as to my children.
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Lyrics to A Tisket, A Tasket
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“A-tisket a-tasket
A green and yellow basket
I wrote a letter to my love
And on the way I dropped it
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I dropped it, I dropped it
Yes, on the way I dropped it
A little girlie picked it up
And put it in her pocket.
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She was truckin’ on down the avenue
Without a single thing to do
She was peck, peck, peckin’ all around
When she spied it on the ground
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A-tisket a-tasket
She took my yellow basket
And if she doesn’t bring it back
I think that I shall die
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A-tisket a-tasket
A green and yellow basket
I wrote a letter to my love
And on the way I dropped it
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I dropped it, I dropped it
Yes, on the way I dropped it
A little girlie picked it up
And put it in her pocket
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(Was it red?) No, no, no, no
(Was it brown?) No, no, no, no
(Was it blue?) No, no, no, no
Just a little yellow basket.”
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She also sang me a song called “Shortnin’ Bread” as a baby,
About cooking shortening bread cakes in a skillet so crazy,
Throwing those shortning cakes in the skillet fast as you can.
She sang the song with the ethnic slang of a black woman.
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This is really a fun song for kids.
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Lyrics to Shortnin’ Bread
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“Put on the skillet,
Slip on the lid,
Mammie’s gonna make
A little short’nin’ bread.
That ain’t all
She’s gonna do,
Mammie’s gonna make
A little coffee, too.
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Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread.
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Three little children,
Lyin’ in bed
Two were sick
And the other ‘most dead
Sent for the doctor
And the doctor said,
“Give those children some
Short’nin’ bread.”
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Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread.
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When those children,
Sick in bed,
Heard that talk
About short’nin’ bread,
Popped up well
To dance and sing,
Skipped around and cut
The pigeon wing.
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Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread.
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Slip to the kitchen,
Slip off the lid,
Filled my pockets full of
Short’nin’ bread;
Stole the skillet,
Stole the lid,
Stole the gal makin’
Short’nin’ bread.
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Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread.
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Caught me with the skillet,
Caught me with the lid,
Caught me with the gal makin’
Short’nin’ bread;
Paid six dollars for the skillet,
Six dollars for the lid,
Spent six months in jail eatin’
Short’nin’ bread.
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Mammie’slittle baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’, short’nin’,
Mammie’s little baby loves
Short’nin’ bread.”
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There was a old song she loved called “Looking Back To See,”
“I was looking back to see, if you were looking back to see,
If I was looking back to see, if you were looking back at me,”
That Mom loved to sing as it seemed to refresh old memories.
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This was one of Billy Rays Favorites..
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Lyrics to Looking Back To See
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“I was looking back to see if you were looking back to see
If I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me
You were cute as you could be standing looking back at me
And it was plain to see that I’d enjoy your company
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One Sunday afternoon as I was ridin’ down the street
I met a cute little girl all dressed up so neat
And the way that she was stacked
I wish I’d’ve had a Cadillac
For who would notice me just drivin’ this model T
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I was looking back to see if you were looking back to see
If I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me
You were cute as you could be standing looking back at me
And it was plain to see that I’d enjoy your company
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Now listen baby it don’t matter to me
Even in your model T
you’re as cute as you can be If you’ll take me for a ride
I will set close by your side
And I will guarantee that we’ll have fun on man alive
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I was looking back to see if you were looking back to see
If I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me
You were cute as you could be standing looking back at me
And it was plain to see that I’d enjoy your company
Oh gee oh me perhaps you’d notice me
If I wasn’t drivin’ this model T
I was looking back to see if you were looking back to see
If I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me
You were cute as you could be standing looking back at me
And it was plain to see that I’d enjoy your company”
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I think we remember all off those songs our Mom sang to us,
To calm us down as children when we were making such a fuss.
Mom’s voice was sweet sounding like an angel from above,
Embracing me with song and all of her wonderful motherly love.
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Hope you enjoyed all my songs. ask Craig to sing them for you!
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By Bill
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Thanks for reading Songs My Mother Sang Me,
Bill