He looked at me and said, "My wife is weeiiird."
Harrumph! See if I serenade you ever again!
* * *
As a child, my mother taught us girls a song called "The Mexican Woodpecker." It goes like this:
The Mexican woodpecker high in the tree,
Peck-peck-peck-pecked all the day.
He grew so ambitious he wore off his beak,
Now you can hear him say:
Oh my beak! Oh my beak!
What a sad day when I lost it.
Hear me sigh, hear me cry.
What a sorry sight to see -- poor me!
One of my unnamed older sisters hated this song. Hated it. She thought it was so sad that the woodpecker lost his beak. My other unnamed older sister delighted in chasing the aforementioned sister around the house, singing this song at the top of her lungs, just to torment her*.
Throughout our two and a half years of marriage, I must have sung this song a number of times, because lately Jacob has started singing "Oh my beak!" at random occasions. It brings joy to my soul.
*At least, this is what I remember happening. If either sister wants to chime in and set the story straight, be my guest.
Did you know that your grandmother sang this song to me? Oh the joy that it's continuing onto the next generation!
ReplyDeleteThis morning I began humming the tune of this childhood song. I searched online and came upon your website and the story (with lyrics!).
ReplyDeleteI wanted to write you because back in 1962, my third grade teacher in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, taught our class this song. I can STILL remember performing it in front of the assembly. Plus. Someone even wore a woodpecker costume and danced around. Thank you so much for the lyrics. Bless you.
LOL. I was teaching my nephews this song in the car the other day! I learned it from my mother, who got it from my grandmother. I was looking it up to see if there was another verse (we always sang it with claps in different spots, and a little faster each time around) I kinda thought of my self as "the cool uncle" until I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the 6 and 4 year olds give me an eye roll behind my back. Fair enough, I can be the crazy uncle too!
ReplyDelete