Clementine

Big D's theme song when she was five was hands down "You're a grand ole' flag".  She learned it when  she first entered kindergarten and sang it the entire year.  Literally.

She sang it in the car, to company, to the grand parents, while she was outside playing, and she most definitely sang it in the bath tub. She didn't have a pause or a  mute button and she hadn't quite mastered her inside voice, so she sang it loud and proud all of the time.  And we let her because at first it was cute and sweet, and it eventually was just straight up hilarious.  She was the squeakiest child you would ever happen upon, and she had no clue that she sounded like a teenage chipmunk.  She was precious.

That was then and believe it or not, it brings me to now.

For the past six weeks or so, I've heard "Oh, My Darling Clementine" about a bazillion times.  In the beginning it was sang only by Big D, but later on it was picked up by the two smaller D's and so therefore I hear it all day long.  Someone is always singing it.  And that wouldn't be a bad thing except for the song is like the saddest song I've ever heard!

Clementine Lyrics found here

Here's Clementine a beautiful miner's daughter.  Her shoes were number 9.  Does that mean she was only about four years old when she slipped and fell into  the water and drown?  How messed up is that to sing a song about a little kid drowning?!  And with a catchy tune at that?!  Is there a lesson to be learned somewhere in this song?!  Or is it just cruel and unusual punishment for poor little Clementine's father?!

And before you tell me that I put too much thought into that song, you listen to it on repeat for about six weeks and then tell me that I put too much thought into it...

So we went to Big D's musical a couple of days ago and there I sat watching a whole slew of eight year old's singing about poor little Clementine.  I started looking around at other parents and they were sitting proud all wearing big smiles on their faces watching their little 3rd graders sing "Oh, My Darling Clementine"...and there I was crying (literally), trying to distract myself by taking pictures and fidgeting with my camera.  My mind went to Deanna.  She was almost Clementine.  'Nuff said.

I think I'm gonna teach the D's a brand new song or maybe encourage Big D to teach her brother and sister "You're a grand ole flag".  As catchy as "Clementine" is, it's really inappropriate for anyone to be walking around singing all the time.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!