Words You Don’t Hear Anymore

 

 

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When I was growing up as a young inquisitive lad,
I heard words used by my family that sounded bad.
I always asked what the strange words did mean,
That were rarely used even then when I was green.

 

 

 

 

 

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Words You Don’t Hear Anymore

 

 

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When my brother Craig was just a little baby so small,
He was crying loud and I heard my grandma Aurora call,
Telling Mom to give him a “Sugar Tit” to calm him down,
Mom said “we don’t do that anymore” with a frown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I asked my Mom what a “Sugar Tit” was right then,
She said “it’s sugar and honey in a cloth” with a grin.
“That my Mom gave me to suck on to settle me down,
And it is really not too healthy for babies, I have found.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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When I got a scrape or cut, Mom had stuff to doctor them,
I asked her what that stuff was and she told me then,
“It is “Mercurochrome” antiseptic to kill all the germs,”
When she put it on, it did sting making me kind of squirm.

“Mercurochrome” did sting just a little.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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After I left home, I never heard of that stuff again,
She had another bottle she also used now and then,
Called “Merthiolate” really stinging when she put in on,
No one uses these words anymore, could they be gone?

“Merthiolate” did sting a whole lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In the 1950s there was a word my Dad often did use,
That you rarely hear anymore that most people did lose.
“Inner-tube” was a word heard often back in those days,
As all automobile tires had “inner-tubes” inside, I say.

An “inner- tube” was inside every tire back then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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When those “inner-tubes” would no longer hold air,
We would cut them up for rubber gun bullets so fair.
All the neighborhood kids shot that “inner- tube” ammo,
In battles as we got stung by an “inner-tube” whamo.

 Inter-tube bullets we used for our rubber guns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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There’s another word you don’t hear much anymore,
That describes a radio that all the kids did adore,
Our radio was portable and small thanks to the “transistor”,
Operated by batteries carried by both me and my sister.

This is my “Transistor” Radio from the 1950s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The “transistor” opened new electronic doors so fine,
And I still have my “transistor” radio from that time.
But the electronic advances soon faded on away,
And you just don’t hear that word much in our current day.

 

 

 

 

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Also at that time, all our television sets had a “picture-tube”,
That had to be warmed up before it could be used.
I recall a phrase that described the TV as a “Boob Tube”,
Now we all have flat screen TVs ready for instant use.

Remember those vertical and horizontal controls as our picture often rolled or went squiggly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It seems that many of the words we don’t use anymore,
Are the result of technology advances we do adore,
So we will likely lose many more words as we progress,
With new technology making our world a big success.

 

 

 

 

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By Bill

 

 

 

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Thanks for reading Words You Don’t Hear Anymore,
Bill