I recently posted a meme on a FB site I belong to that remind me of a song that I recall from my childhood. Every morning, along with half a million other Torontians, our radio was set to CFRB and Wally Crouter‘s morning show. There was something for every one: weather, news, sports, traffic, celebrity interviews, local events, and an eclectic mixture of music including a song for the kids. Though I was in class by the time he signed off at 0900 – he had started at 0530 – apparently he always ended with a “Thought for the Day”.*
Amongst the children’s selection you could count on Danny Kaye doing a song from Hans Christian Anderson, Burl Ives singing children’s folk songs, story songs like Tubby the Tuba or The Little Engine That Could, and a cavalcade of numbers from Disney movies. The song that suddenly became an ear worm yesterday was from an 1946 Disney live-action/animated feature called The Song of the South. The movie was based on the Uncle Remus folk stories collected by Joel Chandler Harris. Now before the fires start – yes I know it is now considered unacceptable, but that is the movie; the song is cheerfully simple and there is nothing, to my mind, either racist or stereotype about it. You may differ and if that is the case just scroll on by.
Given that that as I look outside it’s bright, sunshiny, and heading to the warm double digits I feel this is a song that was made for the day.
I recall seeing The Song of the South when it was, controversially, reissued back in 1980. I had only seen snippets on TV and heard the songs and stories on radio back. What struck me about the film was that the only adults who seemed concerned with the children in the story were the African-American sharecroppers. They taught them lessons, listen to their troubles, and comforted them. I’m not sure if that was the intended subtext or just came out of the Uncle Remus stories.
Looking at the weather forecast for the rest of the week I see that “plenty o’sunshine” is coming our way. And I find that very “satisfactual”.
*One example that is often quoted: “Before you put your foot down, make sure you’ve got a leg to stand on.”
The word for May 15th is:
Zip /zĭp/: [noun]
1.1 A brief sharp hissing sound.
1.2 Energy; vim.
1.3 A zipper.
1.4 Zero, student slang
1.5 Acronym for Zone Improvement Plan in US Postal Service
2.1 To move with a sharp hissing sound.
2.2 To move or act with a speed that suggests such a sound.
2.3 To act or proceed swiftly and energetically.
2.4 To become fastened or unfastened by a zipper.
Onomatopoetic: “move rapidly,” 1852, of echoic origin. Meaning “close with a zipper” is from 1932. Meaning “zero” student slang is from 1900. Meant “US Postal Code” is from 1963.
Such as small word – so many meanings.
Willy Or Won't He 