Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Monday, July 07, 2014

LET'S ASK AGAIN

Question Of The Week 7-7-14

WHAT STORY OR POEM CAN YOU USE TO ENTERTAIN BY RECITING FROM MEMORY?

Our mother used to tell us the story of 5 little Jack O' Lanterns sitting on the gate and our father used to recite the Three bears in Spanish.  I love to tell children the story of Lil' Orphant Annie "an the goblins el git ya efen ya don' watch out." and Ron could recite The Cremation of Sam McGee.

19 comments:

  1. There was a crooked man
    That walked a crooked mile
    He found a crooked sixpence
    Upon a crooked stile
    He bought a crooked cat
    Which caught a crooked mouse
    And they all live together
    In a little crooked house.

    FYI: I never knew what a sixpence was until I went to Ireland. I don't like cats or mice. I tell my carpenters at work that we will never build a crooked house.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not a story or a poem but a song.

    Big Boots by Elvis Presley.

    They call your daddy Big Boots
    And Big Boots is his name
    It takes a big man to wear big boots
    That's your daddy's claim to fame
    They know your daddy Big Boots
    Wherever soldiers are
    'Cause he can handle an armored tank
    Just like a kiddy car

    So sleep little soldier
    Don't you cry

    Loo loo loo loo
    Loo loo loo
    General sandman's soon coming by
    Loo loo loo loo
    Loo loo loo

    I'm gonna tell you a little secret
    You won't believe it's true
    Did you know your
    Daddy Big Boots
    Once wore little boots like you

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can recite "Twas the Night Before Christmas", Mark Anthony' Eulogy from Julius Cesear, The 23rd Psalm and John chapter 3 all from memory. There are many more poems and Bible chapters that I can also recite. The one that clearly did not entertain my children was

    A birdie with a yellow bill
    Hopped upon my window sill
    Cocked it's shining head and said
    Out of bed you sleepy head.

    They also didn't like

    Have patience, have patience
    Don't be in such a hurry,
    Remember, Remember it only causes worry
    Remember, Remember that God has patience too
    And think of all the times that others have had to wait on you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 'There are holes in the sky where the rain gets in,
    But they are ever so small,
    That's why rain is thin.'

    And rather a lot of The Just So Stories'. And snippets of lots of other things. It is crowded, and jumbled in my head.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jack and Jill
    Also Little Miss Muffett

    There are a lot in Hindi too. I am trying to teach my grand kids some of the games we used to play in India.

    ReplyDelete

  6. My favorite Irish blessing.

    May those that love us, love us
    And those that don't love us
    May God turn their hearts.
    And if he can't turn their hearts
    May he turn their ankles
    So we will know them by their limping.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I read so many Mother Goose rhymes to my children I could probably recite dozens of them from memory, but My grand children aren't so easily impressed or entertained.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm with Olga, and mine don't entertain easily either. I know snippets of some poems, but nothing impressive.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can't remember a darn thing, but my 96 year old father in law can recite Robert Burns & Shakespeare too. Makes me feel pitiful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
    By Robert Frost

    Whose woods these are I think I know.
    His house is in the village though;
    He will not see me stopping here
    To watch his woods fill up with snow.

    My little horse must think it queer
    To stop without a farmhouse near
    Between the woods and frozen lake
    The darkest evening of the year.

    He gives his harness bells a shake
    To ask if there is some mistake.
    The only other sound’s the sweep
    Of easy wind and downy flake.

    The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep.

    ----this one resonated with my 8th grade self. I had to recite it in front of the class and have never forgotten a word of it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You know what - I have a problem - I remember a line or two from everything I learned - but I can't remember a whole poem! lol

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'll have to think about this one!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mostly songs and very old t.v. shows from when I was a kid.

    A theme song to a kids show went something like this:

    Red and yellow and pink and green. Purple and orange and blue.

    I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too.


    Father Nature's Corner

    ReplyDelete
  14. i seem to no longer have remembrance of full poems, but can still remember pieces of the hollow men by TS Elliot and The charge of the light brigade but Tnnyson

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've loved reading the replies to this post. Like lots of others I can remember snippets of lots of poems. One I learned in fourth grade has always stuck with me

    Once there was an elephant
    Who tried to use a telephant.
    Oh no I mean an elephone
    Who dried to use a telephone.

    Dear me I am no certain quite
    That even now I have it right.

    How'ere it was he got his trunk
    Entangled in the Telefunk
    The more he tried to get it free
    The louder buzzed the telefee.

    I fear I better drop this song
    Of elephunk and telefong.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bonnie (BIZ)
    And do they look at you funny when you say that?

    LL Cool Joe
    Now that put a tear in my eye.

    Lisa
    My daddy knew a lot of poems that had to do with getting us out of bed. We didn't care much for those either.

    Elephant's Child
    Never have heard that one and love it!

    Munir
    I loved to tease my grands with verses when they were little. My Ryan would not kiss me hello so I can still see him standing shyly at the front door while I recited, "Kissing spreads germs it has been stated, so kiss me Ryan, I'm vaccinated." and I would grab him and kiss him. I wonder if he has forgiven me yet.

    Arkansas Patti
    Oh yes, also a favorite of mine.

    Olga Hebert
    I certainly hope Mother Goose never goes away.

    kenju
    Snippets make up many smiles.

    Kerry
    I have a small collection of Shakespeare but a huge collection of Robert Burns.

    Lynn
    Robert Frost is my guy.

    Chatty Crone
    While you are not able to do anything real strenuous try memorizing a poem:)

    Lee
    Somehow I'm pretty sure you know some rhymes but maybe they just can't be repeated:)

    G.B. Miller
    That's a pretty rainbow.

    Brite Mist
    I won an award for poetry interpretation in highschool for the poem PATTERNS. Can barely remember the first line now. "I walk down the patterned garden paths in my stiff brocade gown....

    Pat MacKenzie
    It was worth doing the post just to learn this poem. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What is the cremation of Sam McGee? That sounds creepy.

    I had to memorize some poems for a fourth grade project. Unfortunately I can still remember them...I don't think it would be very entertaining!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I tend to vary the song, anecdote, homily, story according to how I'm feeling. A pal once told me I was a great one for homilies:)

    ReplyDelete
  19. With my guitar I sing "Puff the Magic Dragon", "Laura n Tommy", Teen-ager In Love," an "Automoble (Beep-do-Eep)" tune, scary "Ricketty Ticketty Tin", "Donna Donna", Folk Tunes), n more- but those are the kids faves.

    ReplyDelete

lizziebethgeneral@gmail.com