If Music be the food of love

"If music be the food of love, play on " said Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night.
"If music be the food of love, then I'll have a Mozart Sandwich " 'said Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in ( a sort of American Monty Python in the early 70's.
For a completely tone deaf  person I have an extremely powerful attachment to music. Whole orchestras play in my head. Beautiful melodies ring in my ears, but  I can't sing a note.
The English language has a whole wealth of nursery rhymes that children learn by heart, everyone knows them. They are a National Treasure and could easily be a UNESCO heritage. A lot of them have sinister origins and a lot of them just sound like nonsense, but we all know them and pass them on to our children.
Thanks to you tube they are all easily accessible and make learning English a pleasures for little ones.



Grandma had her own personal playlist to sing to us at bedtime:-
Pack up your troubles
It's a long way to Tipperary
Polly Wolly Doodle
Way down upon the Swanee river
The Mountains of Mourn
Poor Old Joe
There is a Tavern in the Town
Oh my darling Clementine
Oh Susanna
Goodnight Ladies
There's a little brown road leading over the hill
When Irish eyes are smiling
Now the moon riding by
There were many more but they are the ones I know off by heart.
Uncle Peter's favourite was "My Sal she ", really called Polly Wolly Doodle.
My favourite was "The mountains of Mourn ", it was nice and long so she would stay longer.

Grandpa sang two songs
"Come into the garden Maud " which is from a poem by Tennyson.
Come into the garden Maud
For the black ,bat night has flown
Come into the garden Maud
I am here at the gate alone

the last line he would sing again and again in an operatic style rising to a crescendo while we collapsed in delighted giggles.
His other song was "Nelly Dean"

There's an old mill by the stream, Nelly Dean
Where we used to sit and dream, Nelly Dean
The sweet waters as they flow
Seem to whisper, soft and low
You' re my heart's desire
I love you, Nelly Dean
Sweet Nelly Dean.

I used to sing all these songs to my children and also a few Beatles songs, Puff the Magic Dragon,
and try to fit in some Italian ones too.




C