As I write, Al is playing the piano. After a few bars, I recognize the tune, “Sixteen Tons,” which was written, I discover with a quick Internet search, by Merle Travis about life in Kentucky coal mines and first released by Capital Records in 1947.
You load sixteen tons and what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter don’t you call me, ’cause I can’t go.
I owe my soul to the company store.
The song was made famous, though, by Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1955, the year I turned one. Five years later, for my first grade play created by our teacher, Miss Kelly, we mimed and acted out a set of popular tunes. The Tennessee Ernie Ford version of “Sixteen Tons” was one of them, and we pretended to be shoveling coal over our shoulders.
Another song was “Whistle a Happy Tune,” from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, which was popularized in a film in 1956 starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. For that one, we had partners, and one sat on the floor facing the other, who pretended to whistle. We were first graders, after all. My partner wore glasses and sported suspenders and a bow tie. Everyone thought we were adorable.
Whenever I feel afraid, I hold my head erect,
and whistle a happy tune, so no one will suspect
I’m afraid.
It’s one of the strange things about memory, how songs can truly bring you back. That, and the fact that I can still recall those lyrics as well as the nervous excitement of being on stage in front of all the other students and our parents. I can still see the beige backdrop curtain and the little boy who was my partner, pretending to whistle as he rocked side to side in time to the song.
And it’s odd, too, how those two songs, the only ones I recall from the play, resonate with our current moment. The world feels heavy, the news drags us down, and for so many it’s truly a struggle to pay down debt and stay afloat. And we need to find ways to stay brave, dig deep for courage to face the challenges, when every day seems to bring another “unprecedented” outrage.
Make believe you’re brave, and the truth will take you far.
You may be as brave as you make believe you are.
To that end, I share this blog post by Angel Chernoff, “5 Painfully Obvious Truths We Tend to Forget in Hard Times.” It gave me some needed perspective last week. I hope it does for you, too.
Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.
Oh my gosh!!!! I’m not the only one who remembers these 1950’s tunes. I still hum “Whistle a happy tune” on occasion. At Christmas I sang(said) it to my 6 year old grandson who is sometimes fearful of things and people who are new. Don’t know if it helped or not. By the way, the “new” school song they learn in music class is the Sound of Music scale song. Heard it around 100 times over the holidays. Thanks for the memory…..
That’s funny, Patricia! I hope you don’t get too tired of “Doe, a deer, a female deer . . .” It’s amazing how those songs and memories are so connected. Be well.
I loved how you connected those songs to the present moment. I did not see that coming when I started reading the blog post and I love to be surprised!
“Sixteen tons” happens to be one of my favorite songs to sing when David and I are on a long car trip and singing to each other. But if you know all the lyrics, you know that it really is not appropriate for children.
I appreciated the link to five positive truths as well. I generally don’t pray for G-d to change things in the world (sometimes I can’t help but do so!), I mostly pray for strength to control my own responses and stay positive, constructive, creative, and loving. I’m blessed to get good answers to these prayers, sometimes.
Thanks, Pat.