Thursday, July 14, 2016

Raisins and Almonds

On Sunday, a blogger started a series of posts about songs of her childhood.   

It inspired me.

I remember a lullaby my father used to sing to me.  I can still hear his voice singing the refrain from the lullaby, in the language of his parents (a language I, in turn, never learned).  I said to myself, "After all these years, I wonder if I can use You Tube and a search engine to find the song?"

And, since today would have been his birthday, what a wonderful way to celebrate a man who meant so much to me.

I have many childhood memories of my Dad.  I remember, especially, walks he would take me on some Sunday afternoons (no doubt, to give my stay at home Mom a break).  He would love to watch houses under construction, and we would walk to the construction sites. He would look at the houses-to-be.  I would listen to baseball games on a tinny sounding transistor radio.

Then, after my mother died, Dad raised me as a single father.  Things got rather stormy as I traveled through my teenage years, but he hung in there.

Anyway, about that lullaby.  It took about 20 minutes, but I found it. 

The English name is Raisins and Almonds, and this is the English version.

And this is the original Yiddish version, as sung by actress Jane Seymour.

Jane Seymour, (not her birth name) by the way, had a Jewish father.  Who knows, maybe her father sung this song to her.

Thank heavens for the Internet.  And, happy birthday in heaven, Dad.

This is Day Five of Write Tribe's Festival of Word #5. Why don't you visit some of the bloggers participating in this from all over the world?

26 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for the mention. Thanks for sharing your childhood memory and the songs. And happy birthday to your dad in heaven.

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  2. Now, if only Jane had sung the song as the blogger wrote them :-)

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  3. I have that song in a book of lullabies I bought years ago at the Met. I'm going to pull it out today, play it, and think of you! And yes, sometimes the Internet is a wonderful resource!

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    1. Thank you, Kimberly, and thank you for thinking of me. I am honored.

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  4. Lovely memories... music is so evocative and can really help bring up those old feelings.
    Carol
    http://carolcassara.com/

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  5. What a lovely memory. This is such a beautiful lullaby. I never new the name was "Raisins and Almonds."

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    1. Neither did I. I love both, coincidentally.

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  6. I love the haunting melodies of Jewish songs. I haven't heard this one before, but now that I have I will be saving it and listening to it again. It's amazing how songs bring back memories of people and places. Sending you hugs, Alana.

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  7. I had no idea of Jane Seymour's story. I've watched her in many Hallmark movies and serials. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. I didn't know either! This was truly educational.

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  8. A beautiful memory. This was so lovely. Happy birthday to your dad resting above.

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  9. My grandmother sometimes sang in Yiddish. Beautiful language, isn't it?

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    1. My parents both spoke Yiddish (but different dialects). My Mom was fluent, my Dad less so. They would speak in Yiddish at times so I wouldn't know what they were saying. But in those days they had different attitudes about children learning the "home language" (and they would have lost their "keep a secret from the child" language). Still, I know it is never too late to try. It is a beautiful language.

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  10. What a beautiful memory. I don't know this song in particular but you brought me down memory lane a bit as my own father sang to us in Yiddish, as well.

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  11. And here I thought you were posting another recipe! ;-) (I was going to say I don't like raisins, but I do like almonds). Isn't amazing what we can find on the Internet?

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    1. It is. And, maybe I will think of a recipe in my Dad's honor.

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  12. Amazing what you can find on the internet these days. What a lovely memory of your father.

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  13. I am glad that you were able to find the song. Such a wonderful tribute to your father!

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  14. He will be happy up there hearing you the lullaby again I am sure....You honor him so beautifully on his birthday...

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