A quite elderly Southern lady approached the reference desk. She must have been in her 80's. Could I find the words to a poem? She knew the first lines, and began to sing them to me in a low voice.
Sweetest little fellow
Everybody knows
Don't know what to call him
But he's mighty like a rose
They are the lyrics to Mighty Lak' a Rose, written by Frank Lebby Stanton . Her mother had sung it as a lullaby to her and her sister, and she wanted to give the lyrics to her sister as a gift.
She was amazed that I could conjure up the complete lyrics on my computer and print them out for her, along with the Wikipedia entry on the song.
I am sure I have heard of this song, but I didn't know it. I had no idea that it had been recorded by so many famous singers and bands.
4 comments:
Thanks for the link - a lovely song. I first saw Durbin in One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937), which I loved.
Amazingly, she's still alive.
My Southern lady was excited when I told her there was a video of Deanna Durbin singing it. She was going to find a family member to play it for her.
Nobody sings it better than Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson sings this beautifully.
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