It's ironic how - the flip side of these gothic rhyme accounts (and let's not forge the crematory one it is said that originates in the plague, 'Ring around the rosies...ashes, ashes all fall down') is the soothing character of children's lullabies, 'Row row your boat...", "Rock a bye baby in the tree top'. or 'There was an old woman who lived in a shoe...' My aged mother who now lives at the anguished edges of consciousness usually lightens up with these pieces that we sing/say together. A linguistic form of lyric anchorage or, at least, a welcome buoy or lighthouse on a darkened bay.
Stephen V
http://stephenvincent.net/blog/
--- On Fri, 12/19/08, Alison Croggon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Alison Croggon <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Some child lore poems
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Friday, December 19, 2008, 8:47 PM
The Opies tracked children's lore in that famous book (the name of
which escapes me). I have a lovely edition of the rhymes they
collected, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. And there was an Australian
version, Cinderella Dressed In Yeller, the title inspired by
Cinderella
Dressed in yeller
Went upstairs
To meet her fella
On the way
Her panties busted
All the guys
Were disgusted
Which of course was screamingly funny in grade 3.
xA
--
Editor, Masthead: http://www.masthead.net.au
Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
Home page: http://www.alisoncroggon.com
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