Our Songs
By Marine Forman
I didn’t really want to go that night. I made all kinds of excuses. Imagine! Amateur night! I’ll be bored stiff, I thought. 
Alright. Alright! I’ll go just to please you my friend…but don’t expect me to stay very long. I’ll just get up and walk out.
We walked into the auditorium and as we sat down…I almost jumped right back up! That girl that girl at the microphone was sing in a deep sultry voice a song that I hadn’t heard for years and I was transported back-back… back to another time when another girl was singing that same song. Her big droopy eyes and protruding bottom lip… voice deep and mellow…. I’ll never forget her as she sang…
Missed the Saturday Dance
Haaaerd they crowded the floor ore
Couldn’t barrre it without ooo
Don’t get around much anymore ore.
It’s short, dark-haired Lorriane B.and she’s tap, tap tapping her foot with each downbeat of the piano.
Take it and say weeee’lll never part
Ned ever the showman, points to himself and shakes his head as he sings. He walks back and forth and puts himself right into the song. We laugh and clap….good for you, Ned.
Oh look! It’s Ned. Confident Ned prances to the front…. Throws back his head…. Puts one hand on his hip… and sings in his high tenor voice.
Teeell the eyyyend of time
Meeee and my sha-a-doooow…
Somewhere over the rainbow (deep breath)
Put more feeling into it! Get some pep! You act like you’re asleep! Like this! He goes down on one knee jumps up and traces a rainbow in the sky… runs around in a circle chasing rainbows.. See??
We wear out our hands clapping… clapping!
We are in the music room of good ol’ Bingham Junior High School in Copperton. Our teacher, Mr. LaVerne Dickson with his dark eyes and straight dark hair… new pin-striped suit and shiny black shoes is smiling and swinging back and forth on the piano bench as he plays. Everyone in our 8th grade class has to sing in front of the class to get a grade and we’re kind of nervous.
Now it’s Rudy’s turn and he marches to the front of the room. What’s that he’s singing? Oh, yes, I remember.
Give me some men, who are stout-hearted men….
Who will fight for the right, we adore…
Start me with ten….who are stout-hearted men….
And I’ll soon give you ten thousand mooore….
Poor Rudy. Couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, but we clap or him anyway. Now we all look at each other.
Who will be next?It’s Dugie! No one can forget Dugie- how he ducks his head, shuffles his feet, twists back and forth, eyes shinning and mouth open wide, shyly grins from ear to ear as he sings…
Yer my darlin’ Cootchie Coo
An’ yew luv me and I lluv yew
Yer hair is red and yer eyes’rebluuuuu…
Yer my darlin’ Cootchie Coo…
Good Dugie! Now we’re getting more lively.
A chair crashes to the floor in back of the room. We crane our necks to look.
I aint going! I aint going!
Yes you are!
Skinny little Bonnie is pushed to the front. She stands there grinning in her flowered skirt and pink short-sleeved sweater…. Feet wiggling in her tan huaraches. She starts singing in her high-pitched voice…
Dirty Lil…Dirty Lil…
Lived on top of garbage hill
Never washed, ‘n’ never will
Wheet-ooo (she pretends to spit) Dirty Lil!
Everyone laughs. No…, no…no! You can’t sing that! Mr. Dickson cries. Sing another one! Oh, OK!
Timptahhun…. Yew awr the one
My heart hart is gawn…’cause yew awr timptayshumn
Yew smiled a leadin’ me awn
My hart hasflowan an’ yew awr timptayshun
It would be thrillin’
If yew were willin’
But if it can nehhhver beeee
Then pity meeee
Cause yew awr borwrn to be kessssssed
I cain’t reesisssst
Cause yew awr timptayshun… And I am yerrrs
Here is my hart… take it awayyyy
Take it and say weeee’lll never part
‘Cause I’m jest a fooooolllll
Only a foooolllll fer yew
Timptayshun…..Timp-tay-shun
Timp …….taaaaaay ….shun!
Bon murders the song in her good ol’ hillbilly style. We all clap and whistle.
Now “Chick” gets up there. Mr. Dickson plays introduction. He plays it again… and again, and again….Chick stands there looking at her feet, her small stand of pearls twisted to the back of her sweater, her hands pulling nervously at the sides of her pleated skirt.
She opens her mouth….Ahhhhh….SSSSS… No sound will come out. She opens wider. Ahhhhh…. Her eyes fill with tears. She is so scared she is shaking all over. Finally Dickson motions her to her seat… and she is relieved.
Oh look! It’s Ned. Confident Ned prances to the front…. Throws back his head…. Puts one hand on his hip… and sings in his high tenor voice.
Oh. I’m a reluctant dragon
What Ho…Quite so
A verrry reluctant dragon
Oh veddy, veddy don’t you know?
They call me the timid dragon
What rot…I’m not
I just won’t fight
I’d rather play
I know I won’t get hurt that way
Oh, here we go gathering nuts in May
Whoops, I’m reluctant!
Larry is next. His hair is combed in that great pompadour. His long arms hang loosely at his sides. He looks upward, throws his head in an arc, rolls his eyes and sings threw his nose.
Teeell the eyyyend of time
Long as starrrs are in the blue
Long as there’s a spring, a beird to seeeeng
I’ll go on lovin’ eyoou!
Dum-dum-dump-dum
So take my heart in sweeet suranderrrrr….
An’ tenderly sayeee that I’m….
The one eyooo’ll love and cayer for….
Teeell the eyend of timmmmmmmeee!
We clap for Larry. Then “Jug” runs up to the front, flips her curly hair, turns up her nose, prances back and forth and claps her hands as she belts out her song….
Now “Chick” gets up there. Mr. Dickson plays introduction. He plays it again… and again, and again….Chick stands there looking at her feet, her small stand of pearls twisted to the back of her sweater, her hands pulling nervously at the sides of her pleated skirt.She opens her mouth….Ahhhhh….SSSSS… No sound will come out. She opens wider. Ahhhhh…. Her eyes fill with tears. She is so scared she is shaking all over. Finally Dickson motions her to her seat… and she is relieved.
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| Ned Brown |
Oh. I’m a reluctant dragon
What Ho…Quite so
A verrry reluctant dragon
Oh veddy, veddy don’t you know?
They call me the timid dragon
What rot…I’m not
I just won’t fight
I’d rather play
I know I won’t get hurt that way
Oh, here we go gathering nuts in May
Whoops, I’m reluctant!
Ned ever the showman, points to himself and shakes his head as he sings. He walks back and forth and puts himself right into the song. We laugh and clap….good for you, Ned.
Larry is next. His hair is combed in that great pompadour. His long arms hang loosely at his sides. He looks upward, throws his head in an arc, rolls his eyes and sings threw his nose.
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| Larry West |
Long as starrrs are in the blue
Long as there’s a spring, a beird to seeeeng
I’ll go on lovin’ eyoou!
Dum-dum-dump-dum
So take my heart in sweeet suranderrrrr….
An’ tenderly sayeee that I’m….
The one eyooo’ll love and cayer for….
Teeell the eyend of timmmmmmmeee!
We clap for Larry. Then “Jug” runs up to the front, flips her curly hair, turns up her nose, prances back and forth and claps her hands as she belts out her song….
Ohhhh…the drums go bang!... The cymbals clang!
The horns blare away … Toot Toot
McNulty blows the old bassoon while eye the pie…ips do play
Annnnnn’ Hennessee Tennessee tootles the flute
The music is somethin’ grand
Acredit to old I-erlund, is MacNamara’s band!
Oh, this is fun! We all jump up and march around the room. Everone has an imaginary drum or horn or flut. Ralphie bangs to bass drum. Ben and Brig roll the snares, Jean and Donna Rae tootle the flutes and Shirley dings on the old xylophone.
Lift those knees and stamp those feet! Everyone singing at the top of their lungs.
The drums go bang and the cymbals clang!
The horns blare away … Toot Toot
McNulty blows the old bassoon while I the pipes do play
We’ll follow Jug anywhere now. And we do…. Out the door before Mr. Dickson heads us off. Back we go to the music room…back to hear more.
Mr. Dickson sits down on the piano bench and we all grin sheepishly at each other. Finally Maurine Morley strides primly to the front. She stands straight, feet together in her brown and white saddle shoes and white bobby sox. She smooths the front of her grey wool hobble skirt, checks the collar on her white cap sleeve blous… with the little back tie…folds her hands together, closes her eyes and sings The Indian Love Call
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| Maurine Morley |
When I’m calling you –ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
Will you answer too ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
This means I offer my lauve to you…to be your own
If you refuse me I will be bluuu…and waiting all aloonnnnne
So when you hear my lauve callringing clearrrrrr
And I hear you’re answering echo so dearrrrr
Then I will know…. Your lauve will be true
When I’m calling you ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
Maurine hardly moves at all except when she when she throws her head back on the high notes. How can she stand so still? We have to clap for Maurine. She smiles and takes her seat almost running into Ralph as he comes forward.
Tall Ralph smiling nervously down at us shifts his weight back and forth from one foot to the other. Mr. Dickson plays the introduction but Ralph just stands there. Come on Ralph. What’s the matter? Mr. Dickson plays again and then we hear shoes squeaking and corduroy pants rubbing.
Hey! Wait for me! Brig shouts. He whispers to Ralph and Mr. Dickson for a moment then motions Ralph to get behind him. Ralph puts his hand on Brigs shoulder and they take big steps walking in unison back and forth… back and forth in front of us as Mr. Dickson plays. Then Brig looks behind him and they both sing without missing a step.
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| Ralph Tibble |
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| Briggie Knudsen |
Strolllling down the av-en- ooooo…
Meeee and my sha-doooow…
Not a soul to tell our troubles toooooo…
And when it’s 12 o’clock… we climb the stairrrrrr….
We never knock… ‘cause nobodyyyyy’s therrrrr…
Just meee and my-yi sha-aaa-dowwww…
All alone and felin’ bluuuuu…
What a performance! They must have rehearsed that one!
It’s Donna Rae’s turn. She smiles at us tossing her long blond hair, put feet slightly apart, one foot a little in front of the other so she can move easily, squares her shoulders in her long-sleeved green sweater… pushed up to the elbows…checks the front kick pleat on her green tweed skirt, takes a deep breath and sings that old song from the movies….
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| Donna Rae Olsen |
Bluebirds fly (breath)
Birds fly over the rainbowwww
(breath)Why then can’t IIII?
(breath) if happy little bluebirds fly
(breath) beyond the rainbowwww (breath)
Why…oh why…can’t eyeeeeee?
Donna Rae has good breathing control. Those high notes sound so easy. She stands still for a moment as the last note hangs in the air. The effect is marvelous. Applause for you Donna Rae.
Now were getting some spirit. Jean, Shirley and Pat run to the front holding hands. They put their arms around each others waists stretch out their other arms toward us and sway from side to side as they sing.
Give me land lots of land under starrry skies above…
(They clap fast with the music… and so do we)
Don’t fence me innnn….
Let me ride through the wide open spacesthat I love…
(clap-clap- clap-clap)
Don’t fence me innnnn….
Let me ride by myself (each points to herself ) in the ev-a-ning breeze
Listen (hands cupped to ears) to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me out forever (outstretched hands)but I ask you pleeeeze…
Don’t fence me innnnnn….
Just turn me loose… let me ride my old saddle(each pretends to ride a horse, rocking back and forth)
underneath the western skies
On my cayuse let me wander over yonder ‘til I see the mountains rise
I want to ride the ridges where the west commences…
Gaze at the moon…(oh no… they’re looking at me)… until I lose my senses…
Can’t look at hobbles and I can’t stand fences….
Don’t fence me innnnn…
No…oh…no…don’t fence me innnnnnl
They run back to thir seats as everybody claps.
Beverly and Barbara take their turn now. Both have white peasant blouses with lots of ruffles and black and white checkered skirts. They clasp hands in front….. look to Mr. Dickson to start…..smile and sing.
I’m always chasing rainbows
Watching clouds drifting byyyyy…
My dreams are just like all my schemes….
Ending in the skyyyyy….
No-no-no-no-no! Eliasruns up. Your doing it all wrong!
Bev. And Barb look at each other and shrug their shoulders.
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| Beverly Allen |
Bev walks over to Elias and shouts You… You… We can’t tell what she’s saying now ‘cause she’s so mad! She doubles up her fist and slams it right on top of his head! Barbara sticks out her foot and down he goes right to the floor. Poor Elias slinks back to his seat as Bev and Barb puts arms around each other’s waist and finish their song…
Some gir-ils look and find the sunshine…
I always look and find the rain…
Some gir-ils make a winning sometime…
I nev-er eevan make a gain… believe me …
I’m always chasing rainowwwwwwsss…
Wai-ting to find a pret-ty bluebird… in vain…!
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| Maurine Ray Forman |
Now it’s your turn. Maurine. Get up there! Go on!
Let go of my arm! Let go of my arm! I don’t want to sing! No-no-no-no….
Wake up! Wake up! You don’t have to sing. You’ve been asleep! Look, you’ve missed the whole show!
I sit up slowly. My friend is shaking me and I can’t…quite …understand. Then as I look around me at the large auditorium, the empty stage, the lone piano bench I smile a secret smile. I didn’t miss the show! I’ve had my own private amateur show. The very best of all!
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